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“ O, DARLING SISTER, DON’T CRY 




Two 

Maryland Girls 


BY 

AMY E. BLANCHARD 

ti 

Author of “ Thy Friend Dorothy,” “ A Sweet Little Maid,” 
“A Little Tomboy,” etc., etc. 



PHILADELPHIA 

GEORGE W. JACOBS & CO. 

PUBLISHERS 


?Z*\ 

, 3**1 

~T^r' 

G a j>y 


THE LIBRARY OF 
CONGRESS, 

Two Copies Received 

OCT 2 1903 


S ' aright Entry 
&l- l<\oS 
<*- XXo. No, 
t 4 / 
COPY A. 


Copyright, 1903, by 
GEORGE W. JACOBS & COMPANY 
Published , September, 1903. 


CONTENTS 


CHAP. PAGE. 

I. Where Nona Lived I 

II. Sylvia's Plot . 20 

III. Sylvia Does 3 7 

IV. Plain Sailing * 52 

V. Mrs. Benoni Wilson 69 

VI. Sylvia's News 88 

VII. Changes 108 

VIII. A Place of Peace 126 

IX. Summer Friends 145 

X. Between Two Fires 164 

XI. In Sylvia's Home 183 

XII. Good Times 201 

XIII. Many Diversions 217 

XIV. Sober Facts 235 

XV. An Easter Party 254 

XVI. What the Forest Did 273 

XVII. Nona’s Rival . 291 

XVIII. Drifting 310 

XIX. Confessions 331 

XX. Trailing Arbutus 353 









ILLUSTRATIONS 


“ 0, darling sister, don’t cry ” . . . . Frontispiece 

“Yuh is sholy a capacious young lady” ... 22 

“Miss Nona, did you ever see this before?” . . 124 

“ I MUST HAVE A CAP-A ” 210 

Playing Hide and Seek 290 



TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 

CHAPTER I 

WHERE NONA LIVED 

It was the quaintest of quaint towns, even at 
this late day when the rage for improvement seems 
to necessitate the cutting down of all venerable 
trees and the turning of smiling gardens into red 
clay banks. Where Nona lived there was a 
view of a rose garden from the front porch, an 
expanse of blue river to be seen from the upper 
windows on one side, and a glimpse of a winding 
creek on the other. But for the trees, one might 
have caught sight of the bay, and a knowledge 
of its nearness was cause for satisfaction in hot 
weather; though in winter Nona was glad to for- 
get it. 

On a certain cold day she was very content to 
snuggle down in front of her Franklin stove and 
neatly pull out the edges of some laces which she 

i 


2 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


had been carefully cleaning. Every little while 
she glanced up to watch the coasters making- 
merry upon a long hill in front of the house ; but 
as the short winter’s day ended and her last bit 
of lace was laid aside, she sat with her chin in her 
hand and her eyes fixed upon the glowing fire 
which was a more comforting sight than the 
pale gold of a January sunset. 

Her room was old-fashioned in its furnishings ; 
a four-poster bed, a bureau whose high glass 
swung over two small drawers, a plain wash- 
stand, a little work-table, and two or three chairs 
the backs of which were ornamented with gilt 
fruit and flowers. In the one rocking-chair Nona 
herself sat, her feet on the stove hearth. Just 
then she was not in the happiest frame of mind, 
not because of herself, but on account of Sylvia. 
Nona was at the age to adore beauty and to 
entertain a sentimental devotion toward some 
older girl, and so she made a queen of her 
pretty sister and idealized her to the extent of 
making an entirely different person of her, for, 
during the last two years while Nona had been 
away at boarding-school, Sylvia had launched 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


3 


out as a young lady and was now enjoying her 
freedom as a Maryland belle. She had by no 
means wasted her time, and her conquests but 
added to Nona’s admiration of her, for who could 
withstand Sylvia’s charms? thought she. It was 
Sylvia who now aroused Nona from her reverie 
by gently rattling the knob of the door and then 
thrusting in her pretty head. 

“All alone in the dark, Nona? What a lovely 
fire, you luxurious creature.” 

Nona made a little protesting gesture. “ It 
isn’t my fault, Sylvia. You know your room is 
heated from the register, and you vowed you 
couldn’t bother with a fire which might go out 
some cold night and leave you a chilly room to 
dress in.” 

“ Oh, well, I don’t see how it is that things al- 
ways turn out all right for you; your fire never 
goes out ; you might have told me how it 
would be.” 

“ It doesn’t go out because I don’t let it. If I 
depended upon Buck to take care of it, I’d have 
no fire half the time.” 

“ That’s very easy to say,” returned Sylvia pet- 


4 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


tishly. “ You are so self-righteous, Nona. Of 
course it is all due to your conscientious atten- 
tion to it and all that. It must be very pleasant 
to feel oneself perfection.” 

Nona bit her lip. If there was anything that 
was a characteristic of Sylvia, it was self-esteem, 
but she had begun to learn that there was little 
use in arguing with illogical Sylvia, and that when 
she made little sharp remarks it was best to pass 
them over in silence; so she changed the subject, 
only saying : “ It is a good fire. I am glad you 
can enjoy it. Sit down here and let us talk. 
What’s the latest ? ” 

Sylvia settled herself upon the home-made ot- 
toman, which served as a shoe-box, and clasped 
her knees, leaning back thoughtfully. “ Louise 
Snowden wants us to come over to-night and 
practice for the church concert,” she said. 

“And we’ll go?” 

“ Yes, I suppose so, though my poor little pipe 
isn’t worth very much.” 

“ I am sure your voice is very sweet, Sylvia.” 

“ Yes, but of course it is you they really want.” 

Nona gave a little frown; it was one of her 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


5 


griefs that Sylvia was extremely jealous of her 
one talent; yet she laughed and said: “ If we 
were going to sing in the dark there might be 
more reason to say that, but you know you are al- 
ways the attraction where there are any eyes at 
all. Who would ever look twice at insignifi- 
cant little me when you are by ? ” 

“ Oh, well,” sighed Sylvia, “ I’ll go, of course. 
It is to be an Old Folks’ Concert, Nona, and we 
will wear the costumes of a hundred years back.” 

“Oh, what fun! I am so glad. Won’t it be a 
joke to see the boys all in knee breeches and Rev- 
olutionary coats? I wonder how many of those 
who wear moustaches will be willing to shave 
them off. What will you wear, Sylvia ? ” 

“ I don’t know ; I thought maybe you could lend 
me the dress you wore at the tableaux you girls 
had at school. The gown is a little short, to be 
sure, but I could loop it up over a petticoat and 
it would do and I shouldn’t have to bother about 
getting up anything new ; you know I hate to do 
that sort of thing.” 

Nona compressed her lips. Her thoughts had 
at once flown to the costume as the one she could 


6 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


wear herself. “ But what shall I wear ? ” she 
said. 

“ Oh, you can easily fix up something ; you will 
have plenty of time. It will not make so much 
difference what you have on; you are so young, 
but I want to look my best, because — ” 

Nona’s heart melted within her. “ Yes, I 
know ; because — All right, Sylvia, you shall have 
the dress. I’ll hunt up something that will do,” 
she added cheerfully. It always ended that way. 
Sylvia must have what she wished and must 
receive the first consideration. Nona had learned 
to accept that, and gave her sister the rights 
which she felt must be accorded to superior years 
as well as to beauty. Even Mrs. Ridgely bowed 
to Sylvia’s decree, and rather than cope with her 
petulance and unreasoning tirades she allowed 
her to have her own way in order to keep the 
peace. She was not their own mother, but had 
done her duty to them so far as she was able. 
She was an excellent housekeeper and had given 
Mr. Ridgely a true affection, although there had 
never been a great comradeship between herself 
and his two daughters. To see that they were well- 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


7 


dressed and that their behavior in company was 
irreproachable ; that they were sent to good 
schools and that they associated with proper com- 
panions constituted the limit of her duty. She 
was now in the third year of her widowhood, still 
a young woman and was not at all averse to the 
idea of a second marriage. 

She viewed the girls critically when they came 
down dressed for their evening with Louise 
Snowden. “ You always do look well, Sylvia/ 1 
she said approvingly. “ So much for having a 
stylish figure. Dear me, Nona, why won’t you 
learn to wear something suitable around your 
neck. Those linen collars do very well for the 
street, but not for evening.” 

“ They are more becoming to me than anything 
else,” returned Nona. “ If I had a pretty, round, 
white throat like Sylvia’s I could wear anything, 
but with my long neck it is very different. Be- 
sides it is so cold to-night that I didn’t wish to 
wear anything light.” 

“ You could wear a velvet stock or a white rib- 
bon. Go up and put on something else.” 

“And don’t keep me waiting,” added Sylvia. 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ You may as well bring down your cloak. I 
think I shall wear it, it is so nice and warm. Your 
golf cape will suit you better; you don’t mind 
rumpling your hair and you can put up the hood 
and keep good and warm.” 

Nona treasured her pretty cloak, but as Sylvia 
had given her the material for a Christmas gift, 
she had nothing to say and obediently brought it 
when she returned, looking admiringly at Sylvia 
as she threw it over her shoulders. 

The two girls tiptoed along the icy street and 
turning off through a little alley they reached an- 
other street, at one corner of which they stopped 
before a wide old-fashioned house. As the door 
opened to their ring a sound of buzzing voices 
reached their ears and Nona shrank back a little. 
“ There is a crowd,” she whispered. 

Sylvia looked at her with a smile. “ So much 
the better,” she replied. 

Louise came forward to meet them with effu- 
sion, and they presently found themselves in the 
center of a merry group. One of the girls 
pounced upon Nona. “You have to sing a 
solo,” she cried. 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


9 


“ Oh, no,” protested Nona. “ Have you made 
out the programme ? ” 

“ Not quite ; the boys are busy at it now. Come 
over into the corner and give them some hints. 
You know more about the old songs than the 
rest of us. We have been waiting for you.” 

“ Hurry up, Miss Emily, we want Miss Nona 
over here,” cried Graham Waters. 

Nona gave a quick glance at her sister. 
“ Come, too,” she said softly ; but Sylvia shook 
her head and walked off with Louise. Graham 
set a chair for Nona and she found herself estab- 
lished at a big table with half a dozen young men 
and girls, most of whom she knew. 

“ This is the august committee, Miss Nona,” 
said Graham. “ We voted you one of us, for I 
have not forgotten how you sang ‘ Phyllis Has 
Such Charming Graces.' ” 

Nona blushed. “ I feel quite honored,” she 
said. “Who are on the other committees?” 

“ Miss Louise and your sister and Miss Anna 
Warfield are the ladies on the costume commit- 
tee.” 

“ They wanted Mr. Waters,” spoke up Emily 


10 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Griscom, “ but we wouldn’t let them have him.” 
She gave the young man a killing glance which 
Nona inwardly resented. It was quite a question 
which was the prettier, Emily or Sylvia ; and until 
very lately Graham had been considered Sylvia's 
special admirer. That he should go over to 
Emily’s side was not to be tolerated. Nona won- 
dered a little why he should have been selected to 
serve upon the programme committee. He had 
a mild, flavorless tenor voice, neither sweet nor 
strong, and was prouder of it than of his more 
valuable accomplishments. His great desire was 
to sing in public and he was eager to be set down 
as a soloist. 

“ Don’t you think Miss Nona and I could sing 
a duet?” he asked. 

“ You could,” spoke up Joe Marriott, “ but it 
would be like a jewsharp and a trombone.” 

Graham colored. “ You’re polite to Miss 
Nona,” he said. “ I would rather compare her 
voice to a violin than to a jewsharp.” 

“ I beg pardon, Miss Nona,” said Joe. 
“ I didn’t mean that the way it sounded. The 
jewsharp wasn’t meant to apply to you, but Gra- 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


11 


ham’s little pipe with your lovely contralto did 
seem incongruous. Now, I think a duet sung by 
Miss Nona and Ran Harwood would be some- 
thing worth while. By the way, why isn’t Ran 
on this committee ? Where is he ? ” 

Emily glanced across the room; her eyes met 
Graham’s and she laughed. “ Randolph is evi- 
dently more agreeably occupied,” she said. 

Nona followed her glance and saw that Sylvia 
and Mr. Harwood were deep in a most absorb- 
ing conversation, Sylvia using her eyes and 
making pretty little gestures with all the coquetry 
of which she was capable. Graham looked down 
with a frown while blundering Joe Marriott 
arose and crossed the room. “ See here, Ran,” 
he said, “ we didn’t come here to make love to the 
girls. We want you on the programme commit- 
tee. You have to sing a duet with Nona 
Ridgely. Come along. You can spare him, Miss 
Sylvia. I’ll send Graham over to take his place.” 

Sylvia gave her head a toss. “ Of course I 
can spare Mr. Harwood if he wishes to go; we 
can continue our conversation some other time and 
you needn’t give yourself the trouble to send Mr. 


12 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Waters here. I will look up that book on cos- 
tumes, Mr. Harwood, and we will renew this dis- 
cussion when it is more convenient to us both.” 
And with her haughtiest air she walked away to 
join a group of girls who were chattering over 
a book of old fashion plates. 

“ Now you’ve done it,” said Randolph in an 
undertone. “ Don’t you know, you blundering 
idiot, that Graham has transferred his allegiance 
to Miss Emily Griscom ? ” 

“ Great Caesar ! no. I’m always putting my 
foot in it. I thought Bennett Duvall was her 
special adorer.” 

“ You know Bennett,” returned Randolph ; 
“ he is too everlastingly bashful to assert him- 
self and he’ll step aside every time.” 

“ Why don’t you prod him?” queried Joe. 
“ You are his best friend; you two have been 
chums since you were babies.” 

“ Very true, but that doesn’t put self-assertion 
into a man who is shy, and well — ” 

“ You’re a fine pair,” called Emily across the 
room. “ What are you standing there whisper- 
ing about? Come right here, both of you. It’s 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


13 


as much as one’s life is worth to get a crowd like 
this to come down to business. What have you 
decided, Mr. Marriott? You are chairman of 
this committee. Is it Graham Waters or Mr. 
Harwood who is to sing with Nona ? ” 

“ Oh, don’t count me in,” said Graham, stiffly. 
“ I think I will be of more use in some other di- 
rection. It was a mistake to have placed me on 
this committee, it seems. I will resign,” he added 
with much dignity. 

“ Please, don’t,” whispered Emily. Then 
louder, “ I propose that we sing a quartette, Mr. 
Marriott. Graham can take the tenor, you the 
bass, Louie Snowden the alto and yours most 
truly the soprano; then we can vote upon the 
duet.” She smiled beguilingly at Graham as 
she spoke and he succumbed, while Joe himself 
was not indifferent to the fact that she had in- 
cluded him in the arrangement. And then they 
went diligently to work selecting, rejecting, and 
arguing, and finally it was decided that Nona 
should sing “ Within a Mile of Edinboro’ Town ” 
and a duet with Randolph Harwood which they 
were to choose for themselves, that the quartette 


14 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


should sing “ Who Shall Deserve the Glowing 
Praise,” and that the rousing old “ Strike the 
Cymbals” should be given by all in concert. There 
were other solos and various arrangements still to 
be decided upon, but they had worked hard 
enough for one night, they decided, and there 
were sufficient songs selected to begin to practice 
and they decided to adjourn. 

Nona did not know how Sylvia would like the 
knowledge that her sister had been chosen for 
so many numbers of the programme, and she 
herself shrank from being made conspicuous, but 
Emily assured her that it was her duty, that 
it was for a good cause and that she must not 
hide her talents, so she felt that she must accept 
the situation with as good grace as possible. 

“ We shall have to practice this together,” 
said Randolph Harwood to her, looking over a 
piece of music in his hand. “Are your evenings 
very much taken up ? ” 

“ No,” returned Nona doubtfully. Sylvia usu- 
ally considered that she had a pre-empted claim 
upon the parlor and the piano, but she could not 
say so. 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


15 


“ The afternoon about five, are you at leisure 
then ? ” inquired Randolph. 

“ Yes,” returned Nona relieved, “ but some- 
times you might rather take the evening for it — ” 
she was about to add, “ I don’t think Sylvia will 
mind,” but she remembered that Mr. Harwood 
seemed to admire Sylvia and she stopped short 
in confusion. 

“ I will come to-morrow at five then,” her com- 
panion went on, “ and I will bring some duets to 
look over ; then we can arrange the next hour for 
practice. Did you come alone? May I see you 
home?” 

“ We came alone, yes ; and, thank you, we shall 
be very glad of your escort.” She glanced across 
the room to see if Sylvia were still there, and 
discovered that her sister had haughtily refused 
the proffered company of any young man who 
had wished to walk home with her, for Sylvia 
was in one of her very high and mighty moods, 
Nona saw. She wondered whether she had done 
right to say that they would be glad of Mr. Har- 
wood’s escort, for perhaps Sylvia wouldn’t. 
Randolph had smiled at the “ we ” but accepted 


16 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


the position assigned him when the two sisters 
appeared ready for the homeward walk, Sylvia 
very bewitching in the pretty evening cloak and 
Nona looking like a little gnome, her serious face 
peeping out from the long pointed hood of her 
golf cape. After they had fairly started Sylvia’s 
ill-humor left her and it was she who monopo- 
lized the conversation, for she never doubted for 
a moment that it was on her account that 
Mr. Harwood had desired to walk home with 
them, and she thought him rather clever to take 
the way he did of accomplishing it. Yet it was 
to Nona that his last words were given : “ To- 

morrow at five.” 

“ What did he mean ? ” asked Sylvia as the 
door closed behind them. 

“ Oh, he’s going to practice a duet with me.” 

“A duet? ” 

“ Yes.” 

Sylvia was silent for a moment, and then she 
asked : “ Why didn’t you have him come in the 
evening ? ” 

“ I didn’t know — I thought maybe you 
wouldn’t like us to be practicing in the parlor 
when you might have company.” 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


17 


“ You goose,” cried Sylvia. “ Couldn't you see 
that he wanted a chance to come to the house to 
see me? ” 

“ Oh,” said Nona. 

“And I hope you'll tell him to come in the even- 
ing next time. You won’t be long over your 
singing and then you needn’t stay down if you 
don't want to. He is rather difficult, and, being a 
newcomer, of course he doesn’t feel as much at 
home with us as the others whom we have known 
nearly all our lives. I didn't suppose,” she added, 
“ that he cared much for girls ; he visits at very 
few houses for he is a great student, and, I de- 
clare, it's quite a feather in my cap to have at- 
tracted him. Oh, Nona, we’re going to have the 
loveliest costumes. I will tell you all about them 
tomorrow. What else are they going to sing ? ” 
Nona drew from her pocket a rough draft of 
the programme, so far as it was complete. They 
were warming themselves in the parlor before 
going to their rooms. 

Sylvia ran her eye over the sheet. “ Good- 
ness ! ” she cried. “Are you going to sing all 
those? You must like to be conspicuous.” 


18 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ That’s what I was afraid of being,” returned 
Nona eagerly, “ but they all insisted and voted 
me down, and I couldn’t help myself.” 

“ You could have refused absolutely.” 

“ Do you think I’d better? Is it too late?” 
asked Nona anxiously. 

But Sylvia did not heed ; she was still scanning 
the sheet. “ Oh ! ” she exclaimed, “ why did you 
allow Emily Griscom to have this quartette with 
Graham in it ? I think you are very mean to care 
so little for my interests.” 

“ I couldn’t help it,” returned Nona helplessly. 
“ She just would, you know. Everybody else was 
satisfied and my weak little no would not have 
done a bit of good.” 

Sylvia tapped her foot impatiently. “ Come, 
let’s go to bed,” she said. “ I wish they’d never 
thought of the horrid old concert. It’s just like 
Emily Griscom to propose something that would 
put me in the background and bring her for- 
ward.” 

“ Oh, Sylvia, I don’t believe she thought of 
that.” 

“ Much you know about it. Don’t talk to me. 


WHERE NONA LIVED 


19 


Here, take your cloak.” She tossed the wrap 
to Nona and ran swiftly up-stairs, leaving Nona 
to put out the lights and to grope her way to her 
own room, feeling more hurt and indignant than 
she was willing to admit. 


CHAPTER II 
Sylvia's plot 

But the next morning Sylvia was all smiles. 
She was really very fond of Nona, and except 
that she was such a spoiled, illogical, unreasona- 
ble creature, was a very winsome somebody. She 
had little affectionate, appealing ways which al- 
ways won Nona over in spite of her feeling that 
she had a right to be angry. 

Nona was laughing merrily when her sister ap- 
peared in the dining-room. “ What is the 
joke?” asked Sylvia settling herself at the table. 

“ Old Peter Smith is dead.” 

“ I don't see anything very funny in that.” 

“ No, not in the event, but in the fact of the 
ruling passion strong in death.” 

Sylvia looked up. “ You mean — ” 

“ He was such an old miser, you know, and 

would not pay anyone to nurse him, even in his 
20 


SYLVIA’S PLOT 


21 


last extremity, but a neighbor, whose good heart 
could not see the lonely old man suffer from want 
of attention, went there and did what he could 
for the old fellow. It seems that this neighbor 
thought it would be well, for sanitary reasons, to 
change Peter’s shirt, but the old man objected, 
saying there was no need of it, for if he lived it 
would be an additional expense to have the other 
laundered, and if he died he’d have to have a clean 
one anyhow, so what was the use of such extrav- 
agance ? ” 

Sylvia laughed. “ That is a good story. Who 
told you ? ” 

“ Mammy True, of course. She is our gos- 
sip, you know.” 

“ Where is mamma ? ” asked Sylvia, sipping 
her coffee daintily. 

“ She has gone into the sitting-room to read 
her letters. Do you know, Sylvia, I shouldn’t 
be surprised — ” Nona paused. 

“ If what? ” asked her sister. 

“If mamma were to marry again. I some- 
times think she will.” 

Sylvia pushed back her plate and arose with a 


22 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


flushed face. “ I’d like to see me stay here then. 
If it comes to that, I’ll marry, too.” 

“ Whom?” 

“ Anybody. You don’t suppose I shall have any 
difficulty in having a number to choose from?” 

“ You don’t mean all that,” said Nona, putting 
an affectionate arm around her. “ Have you 
looked at your mail ? ” 

“ No.” 

“ Then let us see what pleasant prospect it 
brings. You almost always have something nice 
in your mail.” 

Sylvia picked up her letters and glanced over 
their contents. “Anna Warfield would like us to 
come to tea this evening.” 

“ That is good. I like* Anna.” 

“ Two or three of the boys will come after tea, 
Anna says ; I wonder who.” 

“ We’ll find out when we get there. After all, 
Sylvia, you see it is as well that I arranged to 
have Mr. Harwood come at five.” 

“ Oh, you’re thinking of that, are you? ” Syl- 
via looked at her suspiciously. “ Perhaps he’ll 
be there, though I don’t believe he will.” 



(i 


Yuh is sholy a capacious young lady 



SYLVIA’S PLOT 


23 


“ Graham will be, of course.” 

“ And Emily Griscom, of course.” 

“ Then you must look your best,” said Nona 
with a wise nod. “ I promised to make Mammy 
True some iron-holders. She 4 ain’t got the dis- 
appearance of one,’ she says.” 

“ Wait a minute,” said Sylvia. “ If Mr. Har- 
wood comes at five and Anna has tea at half-past 
six, we’d better get ready early or we’ll have no 
time. Don’t forget. It is so like you not to 
think of those things.” 

“ I’ll remember.” And Nona went to rummage 
among the bundles of pieces in the garret to find 
material for her iron-holders. It was this sort 
of work which fell to her, for Sylvia was not 
much of a seamstress when it came to homely 
matters, and Mammy True usually went to Nona 
when towels were to be hemmed or holders to be 
made. 

“ Umph-umph, you is sholy a capacious young 
lady,” said Mammy when Nona appeared that 
afternoon with the iron-holders. 

Nona laughed. “ Why, Mammy, I’m not very 

big.” 


24 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Who say yuh big ? I ain’t say yuh is. I 
say yuh capacious an’ yuh is dat, jes capacious 
to do anythin’ yuh lays yo han’ to. Now, Miss 
Sylvy, she ain’ capacious, ’tall, ’cep to draw de 
young gemmans. Don’ let huh cut yuh out, 
honey, when Mr. Right come erlong.” 

“ I’m afraid I’ll have a poor chance.” 

“ No, yuh won’, uh-uh,” returned Mammy. 
“ Yuh has yo good p’ints same as Miss Sylvy. 
She lak one o’ dese yer big roses what ain’ got 
much sweet rosy smell to ’em, an’ yuh is lak de 
little pinky ones dat smell so sweet dey fills de 
whole house wid dey odum-scent; das what.” 

“ That is a very poetical compliment, Mam- 
my.** 

“ Hit may be po’, honey, but hit de gorspel 
truf. Yuh has yo gre’t big grey eyes dat speaks 
hones’ an’ true all de time, an’ Miss Sylvy has de 
die away kin’ dat she look up with lak she say: 
‘ I so leany ovah an’ helpless ; I want a prop’, an’ 
all de young gemmans dey comes an’ dey says: 
‘ Hyah a shouldah an’ a ahm what yuh kin have,’ 
an’ den she smile so sweet an’ sof’ an’ look up lak 
she so obligated to ’em, an’ dat teks de young 


SYLVIA’S PLOT 


25 


mens. Sho’, child, ef yuh wants to git a string 
o’ beaux yuh just bleedged ter pertend yuh wants 
’em, an’ that yuh cyarnt stan’ up straight with- 
outen ’em, an’ dey comes a runnin’.” 

“ I don’t believe I wish that kind,” said Nona, 
with a little independent gesture. “ If I can’t at- 
tract them without being something I’m not, I 
don’t believe I’ll try. All those pretty little ways 
are natural to Miss Sylvia and they are not to 

_ v> 

me. 

“ Tain’t uvverbody thinks ’em purty. Dey is 
some folkses dat laks dem little pinky roses 1 
done tole yuh ’bout. Yuh go ’long, chile; wid 
dem big grey eyes an’ dat little slim figger, an’ 
dat se’ious face dat look lak sunshine when you 
smiles an’ shows dem white toofs, yuh ain’ gwine 
be lef’ settin’. I say hit.” 

Nona gave her a hug. “ It’s something to 
have one appreciative friend,” she said, “ but 
you mustn’t make me vain.” 

“ I ain’ gwine mek yuh vain ; yuh needs a little 
ob dat ve’y identicous thing ; yuh hyar me.” 

Hearing Sylvia call, Nona ran up to find her 
sister established before her fire. “ It is so much 


26 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


more cheerful in here than in my room,” she be- 
gan, “ and I should like to talk to you, Nona. I 
have hardly seen you all day.” 

“ But you were out all morning.” 

“ I know, but where were you when I called ? ” 

“ Talking to Mammy True. I went down to 
take her the holders I have been making.” 

“ Why didn’t you let Ginny take them ? I 
believe you would rather talk to Mammy than to 
any one in the house.” 

“ I do like to talk to her, for I love her dearly.” 

“And you’re her pet; it’s easy to see. You al- 
ways were.” 

Nona made no response to this and the two 
sat for a few minutes in silence, then Sylvia 
broke out with : “ Emily Griscom is as mean as 
she can be. I wish she were in Jericho.” 

Nona turned her earnest eyes upon her sister. 
“ Do you mean there is anything else ? ” 

“ Yes, I mean she is doing everything to fas- 
cinate Graham and I know she doesn’t love him 
as I do; she doesn’t love him at all. She is just 
trying to make Bennett jealous ; she told me so. 
I believe she is really fond of Bennett.” 


SYLVIA’S PLOT 


27 


“And is she succeeding ? ” 

“ I don’t know. Bennett is so shy and so 
queer ; if he thinks she likes Graham best he will 
step aside and let him go in and win, yet all the 
time I know he adores Emily and if he could pro- 
pose to her by proxy, or if she would propose to 
him he would be delighted.” 

“If it were only leap year now, we could get 
up a leap-year party.” 

“ Oh, shocking ! Of course Emily would die 
before she would let him know, but he may go 
on this way forever and she might wait for him 
till doomsday, for I don’t see that he is any nearer 
proposing to her than he was two years ago. Oh, 
dear, dear, if there were only some way to set- 
tle it.” 

“ I think Graham is detestable,” said Nona 
with some heat. “ Why don’t you turn your 
thoughts to some one else, Sylvia? I am sure 
there are scores of young men waiting for a 
smile from you.” 

“ But I don’t want any of them, and Graham 
isn’t detestable; he is only — only — trying to 
pay me back — at least that is the way it began. 


28 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Because I flirted a little with Randolph Harwood 
he is doing this.” 

“ Then why do you care? It will come all 
right.” 

“ No, it won’t, it won’t, because Emily has 
so many wiles and every day I can see more and 
more the effect of them on Graham. No, it will 
end in his heart being captured as his fancy is 
now.” 

“And meanwhile you will flirt with Mr. Har- 
wood ? ” 

“ Yes, of course. Do you suppose I mean to 
be left in the lurch ? ” 

“And Mr. Harwood?” 

“ He can take care of himself. He is not sus- 
ceptible, I assure you, and he understands, or, at 
least, he ought to. If only some one would sug- 
gest a way to make Bennett propose to Emily it 
would all come right and everybody would be 
happy.” She gave a long sigh and was silent for 
a little. 

Nona leaned over and patted her hand gently. 
“ Emily isn’t half as pretty as you,” she said. 
“ I don’t see what people see to admire in her 
when you are by.” 


SYLVIA’S PLOT 


29 


“ But they do admire her. She has a way.” 

“Anne Hathaway,” said Nona softly to herself. 

Sylvia stared. “ What are you saying ? ” 

“ Nothing. I was only thinking of Shake- 
speare.” 

“ That is just like you. I should think your 
own sister’s troubles were of more importance.” 

“ Sylvia, dear, they are important.” Nona 
leaned over to kiss her cheek. 

“ Then help me.” 

“ With all my heart. What can I do ? ” 

“ Don’t ask me. Think of something. I have 
racked my brain till it whirls. I have actually 
lain awake nights thinking about it, and last night 
I cried myself to sleep.” 

“Really, Sylvia?” 

“ Yes, I did.” 

This was a state of affairs quite appalling to 
Nona who had not yet arrived at a true apprecia- 
tion of the seriousness of a love affair. She 
shook her head. “You mustn’t do that again. 
Let me think what I can do. I might try to win 
Graham from Emily and then hand him over to 
you. How does one do those things? I will 
watch Emily and see.” 


30 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


*' Nonsense, you are a goose. As if you 
could.” 

“ No, I am sure that wouldn’t work. I might 
propose to Bennett by proxy or get him in a 
corner where he couldn’t get away and then bring 
him to terms, or I might write a letter to Emily 
purporting to come from Bennett and he would 
be so glad when she answered yes that he would 
thank me for it.” 

“ Oh, Nona, do you mean it? ” Sylvia sat up 
very straight, her eyes shining. “ That could 
be done.” 

“ Of course it could, but it would be dreadful ; 
it would actually be forgery.” 

“ But the end would justify the means. 
Please do it.” 

Nona shook her head. “ Couldn’t, my dear. 
I am not clever enough at imitating hand-writing, 
even if my conscience approved. If I knew Mr. 
Bennett Duvall very well I could talk to him, and 
I would do it, but he is so shy, as you say, and a 
little stern, and I’d be scared out of my wits, be- 
sides he would very likely tell me politely not to 
concern myself about his affairs. Now Gra- 
ham — ” 


SYLVIA’S PLOT 


31 


Sylvia seemed to catch only the last words. 
“ What of Graham ? ” 

“ I might maliciously say evil things of Emily 
to him; break the ninth commandment to bits.” 

Sylvia shook her head. “ You wouldn’t do 
that, Nona, and I would not have you. The other 
would be much better, for it would harm no one. 
I can’t agree with you that it would be so dread- 
ful. It would be much less dreadful than to 
break my heart.” And she suddenly burst into 
tears. 

In an instant Nona was on her knees beside 
her. “ Oh, darling sister, don’t cry. I would do 
anything in reason, you know I would, but I 
shouldn’t know how to do that, and I couldn’t 
bring myself to such a piece of deception, even 
for you, much as I love you.” 

“ Oh, no; of course you never do wrong,” 
sobbed Sylvia. “ I would do wrong for you or 
for any one I loved.” 

“ But I shouldn’t wish you to.” 

“ No, you are a saint, I know.” 

“ I’m not a saint ; far from it, and I don’t even 
look like an angel as you do. There, don’t cry, 


32 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


dearest; it will make your eyes all red and swol- 
len for to-night, and you must look your pretti- 
est.” And at last by dint of coaxing and flatter- 
ing Sylvia was soothed, though she still protested 
that she could not see any wrong in making three 
persons happy at the expense of a little deception. 
Her persistence upon this point at last roused 
Nona’s anger and she snapped out : “ Why don’t 
you do it yourself, then ? ” 

Sylvia sprang to her feet. “ I will ; I vow I 
will,” she exclaimed and fled from the room. 

Nona turned again to her fire after listening to 
Sylvia’s departing footsteps. “ Will she really 
do it ? ” she said to herself. “ Oh dear, oh dear, 
and it will be my fault, for I put the idea into 
her head, although it was only a joke, I thought. 
She mustn’t ; she must not ; it would be dreadful. 
I must go and beg her not to.” She arose and 
went to Sylvia’s door. It was locked against 
her. 

“Let me in, Sylvia,” whispered Nona. “ It is I, 
Nona.” There was dead silence for a moment 
and then the door was opened. Sylvia’s was a 
pretty room furnished in old mahogany. A red 


SYLVIA’S PLOT 


33 


carpet was on the floor and warm curtains of the 
same color hung at the windows. A hand- 
some lamp stood lighted upon an old desk which 
was littered with papers. Sylvia stood in silence, 
but there was a stubborn set to her mouth. 

Nona went up to her and put her arms around 
her. “ You won’t do it,” she whispered. 

Sylvia unclasped her sister’s arms. “ My hap- 
piness is of so little worth to you that you urge 
me to give it up when I would gain my heart’s 
desire by a few written words that would harm 
no one. I believe you are in love with Graham 
yourself.” 

Nona flushed up. “ Oh, Sylvia ! ” 

“ Well, you suggested that you might try to 
win him from Emily. I suppose you must have 
had some reason to suppose you could.” 

“ Oh, Sylvia ! ” repeated Nona helplessly. “ I 
was only in fun. The whole thing was only a 
joke.” 

“ I don’t see how you could joke when you 
knew I was so unhappy and so in earnest.” 

“ I thought I would try to be funny so you 
wouldn’t take it so seriously. Do forgive me, 
Sylvia.” 


34 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Oh, 1 forgive you,” Sylvia returned with a 
gesture which suggested that she was aware of 
her magnanimity. 

“ But you won’t do that dreadful thing.” 

“ I shall do as I think best. I am not going 
to allow a younger sister to dictate to me as to 
what I shall or shall not do.” 

“ But won’t you ask mamma about it ? ” 

“ Indeed I shall not, and if you dare to tell her 
of our conversation, or tell anyone at all, Nona 
Ridgely, I will never forgive you, and when I die 
of a broken heart you will be haunted by my 
misery the rest of your life.” 

This was too terrible a prospect for Nona to 
contemplate for a moment and she replied eagerly : 
“ I promise, Sylvia. I will never tell a soul.” 

“ It isn’t every girl who takes her younger sis- 
ter into her confidence,” Sylvia went on reproach- 
fully. “ Most girls make confidantes of girls of 
their own age.” 

“ But they ought not to keep things from their 
mother,” said Nona steadily. 

“ Little girls ought not to, maybe, but girls of 
my age do not like their elders to know the 


SYLVIA'S PLOT 


35 


secrets of their inmost hearts, for they cannot 
always understand them. It is a very, very great 
compliment for a girl to tell her sister about her 
love affairs as I tell you about mine.” 

“ Oh, I know that,” returned Nona contritely. 
“ You are very, very sweet to do it, and I am so 
interested; you know that, Sylvia. Of course I 
know you have a right to keep your own secrets 
and I ought not to tell them, and I never, never 
will ; but my own — ” 

“ If you ever have any.” 

“Yes, if I ever have any,” repeated Nona 
meekly. “ I can tell those if I wish to, can’t I ?” 

“ Oh, I suppose so, but if this were our own 
mother it would be different, though since she is 
only our father’s second wife and our step- 
mother, you are under no obligation that I see.” 

“ But she has been the same as our own 
mother, and since father died no one could have 
been kinder or more considerate.” 

“ Of course ; she is all that. I am very fond of 
her, but I don’t feel that I have to go to her with 
my secrets. I know just how she would laugh 
at them. You see you don’t know her as I do, 


36 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


for you have been away at school ever since fa- 
ther’s death, and a girl of seventeen has not the 
judgment of a girl who has been out in the world 
for two years ; it would be impossible for her to be 
as experienced.” The two years between the two 
sisters extended to a mighty space of time as 
Sylvia spoke. 

“ Yes, I know all that,” returned Nona hum- 
bly. 

“And of course,” Sylvia went on, “ as long as 
my experience and judgment are better than 
yours it would be as well if you did not pre- 
sume to question them. You have never had a 
love affair and you don’t know that all is fair in 
love and war.” 

“ Oh, yes, I know that ; at least I have heard 
it,” Nona corrected herself. “ I don’t mean to 
be disagreeable and pompous and all that, but I 
can’t see things quite as you do; perhaps I shall 
when I am older and have been out among peo- 
ple more. Don’t let’s quarrel about it, I am 
so miserable when we have quarreled. Don’t let 
us say any more about it. Kiss me and then 
I will go and get dressed.” 

Sylvia kissed her amiably enough and the point 
at issue was dropped. 


CHAPTER III 

SYLVIA DOES 

Nona was not long in making her toilet, for she 
realized that it was nearing five o’clock and that 
Mr. Harwood would soon appear. She stopped 
in her sister’s room to see if she, too, were ready, 
but she found her again absorbed in rummaging 
through her papers. “ Not dressed yet,” said 
the younger girl. 

“ There’s plenty of time,” said Sylvia, glanc- 
ing at her clock. “ I have something I wish to do 
first, and the darkness is deceptive for the days 
are so short. I can easily dress in an hour and it 
is not quite five yet.” 

“ But Mr. Harwood will soon be here.” 

“Well, what of that? He is coming to prac- 
tice with you, isn’t he? ” Sylvia spoke pleasantly 
and Nona felt that peace was really established. 
She was always ready to give her sister all 

homage when she was in this mood. 

37 


38 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Can’t I help you to clear up those papers,” 
Nona offered. 

“ No, I haven’t finished looking through them. 
I ought to have a note somewhere from Bennett 
Duvall,” she added thoughtfully. 

“ Oh ! ” Nona started back. 

“What’s the matter?” said Sylvia sharply. 
“Allow me to attend to my own affairs. There, 
silly, you are a prudish old Puritan; I am not 
going to commit a crime.” She fumbled over 
her letters and at last thrust them all into a drawer 
and stood thoughtfully looking out of the win- 
dow while Nona who had picked up a little book 
was absorbed in reading the poetry scattered 
through its pages. 

“ What a lot of pretty verses you have,” ex- 
claimed the younger girl. “ I think it is nice to 
have a scrap-book like this. I have one, but 
most of my poems are cut out of magazines and 
newspapers, I think it is a good plan to include 
original ones also. The girls at school wrote a 
lot of jingles and I have those and a few that I 
have added since I came home. How very sen- 
timental this is ; it is signed ‘ Gray.’ So many 


SYLVIA DOES 


39 


of yours have that signature. Oh, I see, they are 
all Graham’s. I didn’t know he could write such 
good verses. He must have meant what he 
wrote or he couldn’t have done it so well.” 

“ He meant it then, but I am afraid he doesn’t 
now,” said Sylvia gloomily. 

“ If he meant them once, why not now? I 
should think he would have to.” 

Sylvia smiled with superiority. “Ah, my child, 

‘Men were deceivers ever, 

One foot on sea and one on shore, 

To one thing constant never/ ” 

“ That is Byron, isn’t it ? I should love to 
read Byron, but Miss Channing warned us 
against his poetry, and I promised her I wouldn’t 
read it.” 

“ Oh, of course, it would not do for a girl as 
young as you, but when you have reached my age 
it is different.” 

“ Are all men deceivers ? ” 

“ Most of them are, you innocent child, but I 
hope your young life will never be blighted as 
mine has been.” Sylvia spoke tragically. Nona 
gazed at her with admiring eyes while she cast 
sentimental looks aloft and sighed deeply. “ You 


40 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


look exactly like a heroine/’ said Nona. “ You 
have the golden hair and the violet eyes and 
the fair skin that the lovely ladies in novels have, 
and it is just like a heroine to speak of your 
blighted life. Does it feel very dreadful to be 
blighted, Sylvia ? ” she questioned curiously. 

“ It is torture,” replied Sylvia with intensity. 

Nona returned to the scrap-book. “ Why, it 
was only a week ago that ‘ Gray ’ wrote one of 
these, Sylvia. I don’t believe a man could be 
so fickle as to change his feelings in such a 
very, very short time. How nice it is to have a 
name like his that one can use so it conceals one’s 
identity and yet that is a part of one’s own name. 
I wish I could do that.” 

“ You might sign yourself Bee,” suggested 
Sylvia. 

“ Oh, no.” Nona flushed up. “ I wouldn’t 
for the world. Some one might guess what a 
terrible name I have. Nona isn’t bad, though 
it is silly enough and reminds one of a cipher, but 
Benona, it sounds like, oh, I don’t know what. 
If I had only been named for my grandmother 
instead of my grandfather, it would be all right. 


SYLVIA DOES 


41 


I don’t mind Lucretia so much, but Benoni is a 
horrid name and to think a girl has to have it 
made into Benona. Oh dear, I am always so 
afraid some one will find it out. I never let one 
of the girls at school know, and I hope I can al- 
ways keep people from knowing it. Don’t you 
ever tell, Sylvia.” 

“ Not if you keep my secrets.” 

“ Oh, I will. I certainly will.” 

“ Remember, if you tell, why, I will tell.” 

“ I promised. You know I did.” 

“ Very well, though after all it is not of so 
much consequence as you would have it. Let 
me see what you are looking at.” 

“ This poetry that Graham wrote. How nicely 
he does that script. I never can make the letters 
even and nice when I try it. He didn’t do it 
half so well in my book; he only wrote in his 
every-day style.” 

“ Did he ? I forgot what it was he wrote. Go 
get your book and let me see.” 

Nona ran obediently to her room and returned 
with her little scrap-book which, though not as 
large and well-filled as her sister’s, was greatly 


42 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


treasured. She handed the book to Sylvia and 
sat down again. 

Her sister turned over the pages slowly and at 
last with a start glanced quickly at Nona, who 
had taken up the other book and was absorbed 
in its contents. Sylvia dropped her eyes upon 
the page before her and after turning a leaf said, 
“ What a nice little poem, so sensible. I’d like to 
copy it.” 

“ Which is that?” Nona arose to look over 
her sister's shoulder. 

“ This.” And Sylvia pointed to the page be- 
fore her. 

“ I will copy it for you.” 

“ Oh no, I won't trouble you, besides your 
hand-writing is still unformed and I must have 
the neatest and most exact copy, if this is to go 
in my book. Just leave the book with me, Nona ; 
there's a good girl. I'd like to look over it and 
read all your verses.” 

“ Certainly, I’ll leave it, but I don’t suppose 
you will care for school-girl doggerel.” 

“ Some of it is not half bad. I will take care 
of the book, never fear. I've not time to finish 


SYLVIA DOES 


43 


it now. I will take it at my leisure. Dear me, 
see how late it is. I must be getting dressed, 
and you will have to go down in a minute for I 
think Mr. Harwood will be prompt.” 

“ What shall you wear? ” asked Nona, always 
more interested in her sister’s toilets than in her 
own. 

“ My green silk, I think.” 

“ Oh, yes, it is not too light for this cold 
weather and it is so becoming to you. You 
ought to have a flower to wear in your hair, a 
fresh rose, for instance.” 

“They don’t happen to grow in January. I 
am afraid our garden will produce nothing better 
than a leaf of ivy.” 

“ You shall have my white geranium,” said 
Nona generously. “ You must look your best 
to-night.” 

“ Oh, thank you,” said Sylvia, delightedly, 
“ and I will lend you my new chain, if you care 
to have it.” 

“ Oh, I should,” returned Nona. “ Thank 
you, Sylvia. I know you will outshine Miss 
Emily to-night and then we will see.” She 


44 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


gave her sister a reassuring nod and left the room 
bearing the coveted chain. A moment later Syl- 
via heard a ring at the door and then Nona’s 
light tread upon the stair. Then she sat down 
to her desk and turning over the leaves of Nona’s 
scrap-book she gazed absorbedly at one of the 
pages. After a little while she began slowly 
and carefully to copy the verses inserted, studying 
each letter intently and becoming so absorbed in 
her occupation that she did not heed the time nor 
notice the sound of singing which came floating 
up from below, Nona’s pure contralto and Ran- 
dolph Harwood’s rich baritone. At last Sylvia 
threw down her pen and glanced nervously at the 
clock. She thrust the book under some papers 
and began her preparations to dress. In a few 
minutes she heard the front door close and then 
Nona’s foot-fall upon the stair. Her sister 
paused at her door before going on to her own 
room. 

“ Ready, Sylvia?” came the query. “ Why 
didn’t you come down? May I come in? ” 

Sylvia unlocked the door. “ I became inter- 
ested in something I was doing,” she said, “ and 


SYLVIA DOES 


45 


have been dreadfully sawny, as Mammy would 
say, about getting dressed, but I will be ready in 
a minute. How did the music go ? ” 

“ Fairly well, but we shall need a lot of prac- 
tice yet.” 

“ Of course; that must be expected. Get out 
my dress, Nona, there’s a dear, and, oh yes, what 
was I to wear in my hair ? ” 

“A bit of my white geranium. I’ll go and get 
it.” She laid Sylvia’s gown across the foot of 
the bed and went into her own room, returning 
soon with the flower which she fastened in 
Sylvia’s locks. “ There,” she said, “ that looks 
lovely. Now come, are you all ready? I am 
afraid we shall be dreadfully late.” And they 
started off, Sylvia conscious that she was looking 
her best, and Nona very proud of her pretty 
sister. 

All went well enough during the evening, for 
after the young men arrived on the scene Graham 
divided his attentions between the rival beauties, 
and Sylvia felt that her star was again in the as- 
cendant, but her spirits fell as she saw Emily 


46 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


walk off with the young man and she was left to 
accept another escort home. 

She did not tarry as usual to talk over matters 
with Nona, but saying it was late and that she 
was tired, she went directly to her room. 
Throwing aside her wraps she again seated her- 
self at her desk. “ It gets more and more des- 
perate/’ she said to herself, “ and I must not let 
this opportunity slip or it will be too late. Oh 
no, it can’t be wicked, it cannot be. I know 
Emily does not care for Graham and why should 
he be made unhappy, as he may be if this keeps 
up. I cannot think it is wrong, and — even if 
it were, I should do it.” 

For an hour or more her fair head bent over 
her desk and at last she lifted it with a sigh of 
satisfaction, as she contemplated a paper on 
which she had been writing. “ It is exactly like ; 
no one could tell the two apart. Now for the 
last act.” She sat with her hands supporting 
her throbbing temples. Emotion had made her 
quite pale ; the white geranium hung limply from 
her golden hair, the soft, rich folds of her dress 
trailed out upon the dull red carpet. She was 


SYLVIA DOES 


47 


truly very lovely and her pensiveness made her 
more so. At last she roused herself from her 
reverie and drew a sheet of paper toward her. 
“ This will not do,” she murmured ; “it is too 
feminine, yet perhaps — ah, how fortunate ! ” for 
lifting Nona’s scrap-book a plainer sheet of paper 
fell from it. She turned the leaves of the book 
and presently began to write, constantly referring 
to the page before her. Her hand trembled as 
she folded the sheet and she paused before she 
wrote the address : “ Miss Emily Griscom.” “ I 
must find an excuse to mail this myself,” she said. 
She tapped her desk thoughtfully and then drew 
another sheet before her; upon this she wrote a 
short note which she slipped into an envelope 
and addressed it as she had done the first. Then 
clasping her two hands behind her head she 
leaned back and gave a long sigh. “ I shall 
know by this time day after to-morrow, and she 
will never suspect.” 

The clock struck two and she started up. “ I 
had no idea I had been so long,” she exclaimed. 
“ I hope no one passing has discovered my bright 
light and will comment on it before the family. 


48 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


That is the trouble with living in a little town; 
every one knows all your affairs and feels per- 
fectly free to make remarks. Oh, if I but dared 
to go out to-night and mail this ! but it will have 
to wait. I will mail it myself first thing in the 
morning.” 

With this decision she went to bed, but slept 
fitfully and was awake and down stairs before 
Nona appeared. 

“ Early bird ! Early bird ! ” cried the latter as 
she came down to find Sylvia reading the morn- 
ing paper. “ What got you up so early ?” 

“ Oh, I was awake, and I promised Louie 
Snowden that I would come over there and talk 
over the costumes this morning, and I have sev- 
eral things to do before I go.” 

This satisfied Nona, but she would not have 
been in so serene a frame of mind if she had seen 
Sylvia slip her two notes into the box at the post- 
office on her way to Louie Snowden’s. Sylvia 
herself felt a great relief when the letters were 
fairly out of sight, but she received a shock and 
felt distinctly une'asy when Louie innocently re- 
marked : “ Bennett Duvall went up to Wash- 


SYLVIA ' DOES 


49 


ington this morning. I wonder how he would 
feel to come back and find Emily engaged. ,, 

Sylvia felt the blood leave her face and her 
heart almost stopped beating, but she found voice 
to ask : “ When did Bennett go ? and how long 

does he expect to stay ? ” 

“ He took the early train/’ Louise told her, 
“ and he will not be back till the last of the week.” 

Till the last of the week! How much could 
happen in those few days. Oh, why had Sylvia 
not known? and how strange Emily would think 
it that Bennett should have written to her upon 
the eve of an absence. Sylvia was so distrait, 
and so nervously anxious that she could not put 
her mind upon the subject that the girls were 
discussing with such lively interest, and after a 
little while she pleaded a headache and left her 
friends to settle matters without her. 

All the way home her thoughts were busy over 
the precariousness of the situation. Suppose 
Emily had become fond of Graham and should 
after all refuse Bennett, what a dreadful situa- 
tion! Then it would come out that some one 
else had written the letter. Or suppose Bennett 


50 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


himself should feel that he could not sail under 
false colors and should tell Emily that it was a 
forgery — yes, that was what it really was, a 
forgery, and she, Sylvia Ridgely, had done a 
very, very wrong thing. She had been blinded 
by her own interests and now if it should be 
found out what would become of her. “ Oh, 
why did I do it? why did I do it?” she whis- 
pered to herself. “ Oh, if I could only get 
it back. I shall die of suspense before 
Bennett comes back. How indignant he would 
be to be refused by a girl to whom he 
had never offered himself, and how puzzled 
and mortified Emily would be if he told 
her.” Sylvia told no untruth when she complained 
of a headache as an excuse for absenting herself 
from the dinner table. She threw herself on her 
bed in a state of abject misery, scarcely noticing 
her sister as she came in to darken the room, and 
to Nona's “ Can I do anything for you? do you 
wish me to stay with you ? ” her answer was : 
“ No, I shall be better off alone. If I can get to 
sleep it will be the best thing for me.” So Nona 
tiptoed out and Sylvia was left to herself. But 


SYLVIA DOES 


51 


sleep was impossible, for over and over the same 
round of thought continued, until the girl felt 
that she would go crazy if she could not change 
its tenor. All the appalling possibilities which 
lay in the situation arose before her, and as time 
wore away she settled herself to the fact that she 
must face a denouement which might embrace the 
engagement of Graham to Emily, Bennett’s in- 
dignant anger and her own humiliation. 


CHAPTER IV 


PLAIN SAILING 

Just as she felt that she could not endure for 
another moment to be alone with these besetting 
thoughts, Sylvia heard Nona’s gentle tap at the 
door and to her sister’s faint “ Come in,” the 
younger girl entered. 

“ How are you, poor dear thing ? I hope your 
head is better. Can you see Emily Griscom, or 
do you feel too ill? She wishes specially to see 
you and said I wouldn’t do at all. So I came to 
see if you could stand such an exciting thing as 
an interview with your rival.” She spoke half 
in jest, but there was solicitude, as well, in her 
tones. 

Sylvia sat up with flushed cheeks, her hands 
clenched under the coverlet. “ I’ll see her,” she 
said faintly. “ Ask her if she would mind com- 
ing up. Pull up the blinds, please.” Nona 
obeyed, picked up a few of the articles out of 
52 


PLAIN SAILING 


53 


place, and set the room in better order. As 
soon as she had left the room Sylvia staggered 
to her feet, feeling weak and dizzy. What had 
Emily to tell her? She dreaded yet longed to 
see her. She threw herself into an armchair and 
uneasily awaited Emily’s knock. She was not 
kept long in suspense, for Miss Griscom ap- 
peared almost at once. 

She was a tall, handsome girl, with a dash and 
sparkle about her, a flow of spirits and a fund of 
humor which was well calculated to attract a quiet 
man like Bennett Duvall, and might well serve 
to fascinate a less diffident one. “ It is too bad 
to disturb you,” she said. “ Don’t get up ; I’ll 
sit right here.” She drew up a rocking-chair. 
“ Nona says you have a wretched headache, and 
really I had no business to come on you like this, 
but I couldn’t come to-morrow as you asked me 
to do in your note, and so I thought I would 
drop in and tell you why, because I couldn’t ex- 
plain very well by writing.” She looked stead- 
fastly at Sylvia whose color had again left her, 
and who was leaning back against her chair look- 
ing really ill. 


64 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ I am afraid your head aches terribly, Syl- 
via/' Emily went on. “ Really, I'd better go. I 
am afraid you are not able to hear me." 

“ Oh, no, no," Sylvia put out a protesting 
hand. “ I am all right. A headache isn’t dan- 
gerous, only uncomfortable. Sit still, please. 
You were saying — " A thousand thoughts 
rioted through her head. Had Emily come to 
confront her with a charge? Had she a con- 
fession to make ? “ Go on," she said. 

Emily threw back her fur collar, and leaned 
forward. “ Oh, Sylvia, I came to tell you first, 
because I know I have been mean to monopolize 
Graham Waters, but I thought you would under- 
stand. It was never serious ; you knew that, and 
now — " She paused so long that Sylvia again 
took alarm. Emily sat with half averted face, 
and after a moment or two said : “ Bennett has 

Written to me. You understand, don’t you, 
Sylvia? Please say you are very glad for me 
and that you wish me joy.’’ She leaned for- 
ward and her bright face was full of a tender 

♦ 

softness. 

At the relief which her words brought the 


PLAIN SAILING 


55 


blood surged up into Sylvia’s face. “ I congrat- 
ulate you heartily,” she said. “ I am very glad 
for you — both.” 

“ But wasn’t it just like Bennett to go off as 
soon as he had sent the note. I believe he had 
some one mail it for him so he could be safely 
out of the danger of taking it back at the last mo- 
ment, for he went off in the early train and this 
wasn’t at the post-office when I was there at nine 
o'clock. Another man wouldn’t have done such 
a queer thing, but it was just like Bennett. I will 
venture to say he was scared to death, poor boy. 
Could you believe that it is his very unlikeness to 
other men that makes me like him better than 
anyone else ? ” 

“ It is because he is so different from you,” 
said Sylvia, brightening visibly now that the great 
dread was lifted from her, “but he is a dear 
good fellow; everyone knows that.” 

“ I think that is what first attracted me : his 
utter goodness, his patience, and quiet tolerance 
of my whims and caprices,” said Emily thought- 
fully; “yet I wish he had not gone away,” she 
continued. 


56 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ But he will be back soon.” 

“ Yes/ but to go just now; though perhaps he 
thought I should see more clearly and that he 
could bear it better if I refused him. Oh, he 
didn’t know that there was no danger of that.” 
She gave a little conscious happy laugh. “ And 
to think he forgot to give me his Washington 
address, but Mr. Harwood will forward his let- 
ters, I suppose.” 

“Mr. Harwood?” 

“ Why yes, they are such close friends and are 
partners in everything. Didn’t you know that 
they had taken an office together, and that Mr. 
Harwood is going to practice law here?” 

“ Oh yes, but I had forgotten.” Sylvia felt a 
strange sense of apprehension; she could scarcely 
tell why, but she shook it off and said : “ It was 

very good of you to come and tell me first, and 
I certainly appreciate it.” 

“ And we’re good friends.” 

“ Why, of course we are.” 

“ I’ve thought of late that you didn’t like me 
as you used to when we were school girls,” said 
Emily in her outspoken way, “ and if I had not 


PLAIN SAILING 


57 


told you in the beginning that I didn’t care a rap 
for Graham, and that it was only a little scheme 
to make Bennett feel that — that there might be 
some danger of losing me, I should have thought 
you were angry because I was so nice to Gra- 
ham.” 

“ Graham seemed very content,” said Sylvia 
in an aggrieved tone. 

“ What would you have had him do? Weren’t 
you playing the same trick on him? I thought 
so and it was a funny little plot all around, and 
now that my deep laid designs have ended so 
happily, I hope you and Graham will follow the 
example of Bennett and me. Graham is a nice 
boy and you do like him, don’t you, Sylvia ? ” 

“ I like him very well, yes,” said Sylvia, feel- 
ing that she could afford to be non-committal. 

“ And you’ll be good friends with me? ” Emily 
persisted. “ I am so content that I shall prob- 
ably be a perfect ninny and won’t care to look 
at anyone but Bennett, so there can’t be any riv- 
alry between us. I have always felt that you did 
look upon me as a rival,” she went on frankly, 
“ but you needn’t have done it, and now I am 


58 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


simply impossible. Now, I am going. I have 
stayed ever so much longer than I intended and 
I suppose I have been a maudlin, sentimental 
goose, but please don’t laugh at me; go and be 
just as silly as I am and you will have my warm- 
est congratulations. Oh, by the way, I forgot 
that the thing I really came for was to explain 
why I couldn’t come to-morrow ; I must go up to 
the city to tell mamma about all this. I always 
tell her everything, you know, and I cannot rest 
till I have seen her; she is staying with Aunt 
Kate for a little while. I hope I haven’t driven 
you mad with my chatter, and that your head- 
ache will soon be better.” 

“ It is better already,” Sylvia assured her. 
“ You really have done me good ; you are such a 
breezy individual, Emily, that you are like a whiff 
of fresh air to an ailing person. Yes, I really 
feel much better.” They kissed each other fer- 
vently and Emily took her departure, leaving Syl- 
via weak and unnerved, but triumphantly happy. 
Her remorse for her deed had been of the quality 
that regrets the act only when it is found out. 
The principle of the thing was of little moment, 


PLAIN SAILING 


59 


the possible failure and humiliation were every- 
thing, and so she rejoiced, though the suspense 
had affected her physically and she felt that 
any continuance of it would have made her 
really ill. She cheerfully welcomed Nona, who 
appeared in a few minutes, and to her she an- 
nounced that she was much better. Would Nona 
get her a cup of tea and a cracker? Of course 
Nona was only too glad to be of service and she 
fussed about, settling Sylvia comfortably and 
waiting on her with the air of devotion which 
was always most agreeable to Sylvia. 

“ What a nice girl Emily is,” she said in a 
satisfied tone as she stirred her cup of tea. 

Nona laughed. “ You didn’t think so yester- 
day. What has come over the spirit of your 
dreams ? ” 

Sylvia laughed too, a little consciously. “ I 
can afford to think so now. She has accepted 
Bennett Duvall ; she came to tell me.” 

Nona brought her hands softly together. 
“ Oh, how glad I am. So all our plotting and 
planning was for naught; we might have saved 
ourselves the trouble, but — why it must have 


60 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


been a very recent thing, for we know it hadn't 
come about last evening, or else Emily is a worse 
flirt than I thought her. Bennett went away 
early this morning, some one said ; that is curious, 
too." 

“ There are other means of communication 
than by word of mouth, my dear. You didn't 
suppose that Bennett would ever have the cour- 
age to face a No, from Emily. He probably 
wrote to her." 

Nona was very thoughtful, then she scanned 
her sister's face earnestly. Was it possible that 
after all — ? But no; there had been so little 
time ; she could scarcely have completed so pains- 
taking a task in a short hour, and the girl smiled 
with a sense of relief. “ I am very, very glad," 
she repeated, “ and more so that no one but them- 
selves is responsible in the matter. If we had 
meddled — " we she generously put it, “ and it 
had turned out to be an unhappy marriage we 
could never forgive ourselves." 

Sylvia spoke up sharply. “ Here, take this 
cup. You are always borrowing trouble ; you re- 
mind me of the story Mammy True tells of the 


PLAIN SAILING 


61 


old woman who was forever working herself up 
into a state of mind supposing this would hap- 
pen and that would happen, when nothing was 
going to happen at all except in her own imagina- 
tion. I think I shall lie down again. I feel much 
better though I did not manage to get a nap. 
Just hand me my wrapper and I will make my- 
self comfortable. There now, cover me up, and 
I will try to go to sleep and I will feel all fresh 
for this evening if anyone comes. By the way, 
I have finished with your scrap-book; you can 
take it along with you. I really found some 
of the things quite interesting.” She turned over 
on her pillow and closed her eyes, and Nona left 
her. 

Carrying to her room her scrap-book she sat 
on the broad window-sill with it before her, turn- 
ing over the pages leisurely. Presently she 
pushed it aside with an exclamation of dismay, 
for lying between the pages which enclosed Ben- 
nett Duvall’s copy of the little poem was another 
sheet which appeared to be a second copy, so much 
like the first that only one very familiar with 
the handwriting could detect the slightest differ- 


62 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


ence. Nona gazed at it with staring eyes. 
Could it be possible that after all — But no, she 
would not believe it. She would never ask and 
in this case it would be better not to find out. It 
might have been only a half-formed intention of 
her sister’s, one which after events had made 
unnecessary to carry out. “ It would take any- 
one a long time,” Non, a reflected, “and she 
couldn’t have had time. She could not bring 
herself to such a piece of deceit, oh no, it was 
just an experiment to see what she could do. I 
can’t believe it was anything else.” But she 
carefully tore the sheet into shreds and burned 
them in her open fire. Yet in spite of her ef- 
fort to reassure herself there was an under-cur- 
rent of discomfort whenever she thought of the 
matter, which was oftener than she desired. 

As for Sylvia, she promptly went to sleep. 
Her fears were allayed; she was mentally and 
physically exhausted and she lost no time in re- 
freshing herself. Everything was plain sailing 
now. Emily would lose no time in announcing 
her engagement and then — then — . She wak- 
ened with a placid sense of peace and comfort 


PLAIN SAILING 


63 


and a little while after Nona heard her singing 
softly about her room. It was quite evident that 
Sylvia was not burdened by any trouble, and 
Nona felt a further sense of reassurance. “ I 
couldn’t sing if I had done such a thing,” she 
told herself, and measuring Sylvia by her own 
standards, she rested in the belief that all was 
well. 

She would have been more perturbed if she 
had been aware of an interview between Bennett 
Duvall and his friend Randolph Harwood which 
took place a few days later. “ Did you ever 
know me to show symptoms of insanity ? ” Ben- 
nett began the conversation by saying. 

“ Well, not exactly,” returned Randolph with 
a little mocking smile. “ Possibly I shouldn’t 
put it as strong as that.” 

“ I’m not joking, Ran. Did you ever know 
me to walk in my sleep or to do things of which 
I was not conscious in my w'aking hours?” 

“ Never, to my knowledge. What’s up, old 
fellow ? ” 

Bennett drew a note from his pocket and looked 
at it fixedly. “ If it were any other girl but 


64 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Emily Griscom I would say it was a joke or a 
put-up job, or something like that, but she is too 
honest and sincere, bless her.” He lapsed into 
silence for a few minutes before he said slowly: 
“ Congratulate me, Ran. I am engaged to 
Emily.” 

“ Tare an’ ages!” exclaimed Randolph. 
“ Have you actually faced the music ? I do con- 
gratulate you with all my heart. Emily is a fine 
girl. There is no need to ask if you are happy.” 

“ Happy ? ” Bennett lifted his eyes and Ran- 
dolph was satisfied. “ But,” added Bennett 
slowly, “ I did not have the courage to offer my- 
self — I would not tell this to another creature 
in the world but you, Ran — and some kind 
friend took the matter into his own hands.” He 
looked fixedly at his friend. “ It isn’t worth 
while to ask you if you did it, Ran. I know you 
too well to believe you capable of a deception 
like that, even though you believed it would help 
me out. But the puzzle is, who in the dickens 
was it, and why did he do it ? ” 

“Will you state the facts?” 

“ The fact is that one of the letters you for- 


PLAIN SAILING 


65 


warded to me while I was in Washington was 
from Miss Emily Griscom, and that it was in 
reply to a letter she supposed to be from me. 
She accepted me in all good faith, and so far 
as she is concerned she shall never know the 
truth of the matter, if I die defending it. You 
can see what a dreadful predicament, what an 
outrage to her it would be. In point of fact my 
unknown friend has done me an immense serv- 
ice whether as a joke or not — yet — ” 

“ Exactly. Your unknown friend has com- 
mitted a forgery, and it might have been any- 
thing but a joke.” 

“ But fortunately it is all right. I can’t for- 
get that part of it.” 

“ You haven’t the least idea who it could be? ” 

“ Not the faintest.” 

“ But you’d like to find out?” 

“ Naturally.” 

“ You have seen Miss Emily, of course. ” 

“ Oh yes, I did not lose any time, you can 
rest assured, and there is no doubt of her belief 
that the letter came from me.” 

“ Did she show it to you ? ” 


66 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ No; in fact, before I left there, I was under 
the impression that I must have written it after 
all. It seemed such a very natural thing for me 
to have done.” 

Randolph laughed. “ I would ask her to let 
you have it. Make some excuse about wanting 
it, and we’ll look it over together. It must be 
a pretty clever piece of work, if it deceived her/' 

“ Yes; but still I write rather an ordinary busi- 
ness hand, and I have seldom written to her, for 
I would always rather make an excuse to see her, 
so she cannot be very familiar with my writing 
and would probably not notice any discrepancy.” 

“ Nevertheless, try to get hold of the letter, or 
note, or whatever it is; I don’t suppose it was a 
telegram.” 

Bennett laughed. “ Hardly.” 

“ Well, even though the writer has done you a 
good turn, I’ve not much opinion of the principles 
of a person who could do such a thing, whatever 
the motive; it is deceit pure and simple; forgery 
as a bald fact, and I wouldn’t trust the person 
Jhround the corner. Anyone who could descend 
to such a performance, joke or no joke, will do 


PLAIN SAILING 


67 


other things of a like nature whenever the oc- 
casion presents/’ 

“ I am not disposed to be so censorious/’ re- 
turned Bennett. 

“ Naturally not, in your state of mind, but if 
the fellow were a clerk where I happened to bank 
my money, I’d draw out my entire deposit before 
night/’ 

“ Nonsense ! It might have been a thought- 
less prank, or it might have been done by some- 
one who really had an eye to my happiness and 
who, seeing my devotion to Miss Emily, thought 
I had been dangling after her long enough and 
decided to settle the matter for us, a possible rival, 
maybe, who wished to know if the coast was 
clear.” 

“ Then he has an unqualified lot of impudence; 
it’s assuming too much, and I’d knock such a 
fellow down if I were in your place.” 

“ Oh no. You are aware, and so am I, and 
probably the world at large knows that I am su- 
perlatively bashful and that I might have gone on 
in this way for time without limit and have 
grown gray before I plucked up the courage to 


68 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


say what I felt to a girl like Emily Griscom. I 
simply couldn’t, Ran. I confess I’ve wanted to 
often enough, and have even thought at times 
that I might have half a chance, but I couldn’t 
bring myself to the scratch, and of late — well, 
I’ve not had much encouragement, and have felt 
pretty blue over it.” 

“ So, I suspected. Well, it’s come your way, 
and I am heartily glad, but I am as curious as 
you. I should like to know who wrote that letter. 
Oh, I’ll be mum. I understand the situation, and 
not for my right hand would I ever place the 
girl you love in a false position; you know that, 
Ben.” 

“ I wouldn’t have told you if I had doubted 
it,” returned Bennett quietly. 

“ Then we have no more to say on that score ; 
but get hold of that letter and we’ll see what is 
to be made of it. You’re off? Give my regards 
to Miss Emily. I suppose you will announce 
the engagement without delay. There is no rea- 
son why you shouldn’t.” 

“ There is every reason why we should. I 
will get the letter if I can.” And Bennett went 
out with a buoyant step. 


CHAPTER V 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 

Nona's estimate of other persons was based 
upon the quality of her own motives. She could 
not conceive it possible for another to do a thing 
which to her would be out of the question. She 
was a most unsuspicious person and guile- 
less in her belief that every one meant well. Syl- 
via's little tyrannies did not make much impres- 
sion upon her; they depended, the younger girl 
thought, upon other things than qualities of mind 
and disposition. If Sylvia felt well she was 
pleasant and agreeable, if she were not well she 
was fretful and said spiteful things; that Sylvia 
had not a good disposition, that she was vain 
and envious, she could not believe. Moreover, 
Nona rather admired Sylvia's arrogance and 
wished that she could queen it over others as 
her sister did, and when her sister said and did 
things which would be tolerated from no one 

69 


70 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


else, she would say with a little air of pride: 
“ Oh, Sylvia can say or do anything she wishes 
to, and nobody minds it.” 

It was to her rather eccentric grandmother 
that she sometimes took her confidences, for she 
had a sharp way of going to the root of a matter 
and frequently cleared up Nona’s difficulties in 
a way which, though it was not always agree- 
able, was generally a satisfactory one, so far as 
lucidity was concerned. 

Mrs. Benoni Wilson lived just beyond the town 
limits. Her establishment was not a large one 
and her right hand helper was an old colored 
woman who did wonders in the matter of cook- 
ery, but who ruled all under her with a rod of 
iron. “ Miss Luke ” alone was “ pompered,” and 
for her nothing was too good. After the death 
of her daughter, Nona’s mother, Mrs. Wilson had 
never entered her son-in-law’s house, and when 
her granddaughters wished to see her they 
journeyed out to the farm which lay along the 
bank of the river. 

It was the morning after Emily’s visit that 
Nona announced her determination of going to 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 


71 


see her grandmother. “ I don't see why you 
wish to trudge away out there," said Sylvia petu- 
lantly. “ I thought you would stay at home to- 
day and we'd see about our costumes." 

“ That’s just why I am going," returned Nona 
quietly. 

“ Because you don’t wish to help me? " Sylvia 
assumed an air of injured innocence. 

“ No," returned Nona, “ because I should like 
to see if grandma has anything in the garret 
which will do for me." 

“ Oh," said Sylvia mollified. “ Well, all I 
hope is that she’ll not be in one of her sarcastic 
moods. Your trip won’t do you much good if 
she is. You’ll not be back till evening, I sup- 
pose." 

“ No, and maybe not till to-morrow." 

It was not without some misgivings that Nona 
started off; there was always an element of un- 
certainty in these visits; she might be received 
with icy politeness or she might be welcomed 
with open arms ; it all depended upon her grand- 
mother’s mood and her rheumatism. It had not 
yet occurred to the girl that there was more 


72 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


warmth in her reception when she went alone. 
Her grandmother had never forgiven her son-in- 
law’s second marriage, and did not forgive Syl- 
via for looking more like her father than her 
mother. The last time Sylvia had been to the 
farm she had come back with such a report of 
her grandmother’s unpleasantness that Nona had 
refrained from making another visit very soon, 
being indignant that anyone should treat Sylvia 
cavalierly. “ We’re not dependent upon grand- 
mother,” she said, “ and I will make it one while 
before I go.” But her indignation had gradual- 
ly softened, and as she walked briskly along she 
told herself that she ought to have gone sooner. 
“ After all,” she reflected, “ she is our nearest 
relative, and though she is queer and cranky, and 
pretends to turn her back upon us because we 
stand up for mamma, after all, she is lonely, and 
she is our own mother’s mother and has had a 
lot of sorrow, even though she does preach to us 
about a chastened spirit and the uses of adversity 
and all that.” 

By the time she had reached her grandmother’s 
gate she had quite warmed toward her relative 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 


73 


and was ready to overlook the rather cold recep- 
tion with which she met. 

“ Have you been ill ? ” asked Mrs. Wilson 
severely. 

“ No, grandma. Sylvia had a bad headache 
yesterday, but we are all about as usual.” Mrs. 
Wilson resumed her occupation of sorting garden 
seeds and made no comment. 

“ The walking has been so bad and it has been 
so cold,” Nona went on apologetically, knowing 
her grandmother’s silence meant reproach, “ and 
besides,” she gathered courage as she went on, 
“ Sylvia said she didn’t think you cared particu- 
larly to have us come out often, and you know 
we hear from you every week when Thad brings 
the butter and eggs. We do not wish to wear out 
our welcome,” she added. 

Mrs. Wilson shook an envelope of tomato 
seeds into a box and said grimly : “ You have a 
good many years to live in all probability, and in 
the course of time you will know how much de- 
pendence to place upon all Sylvia Ridgely says.” 

Nona was immediately on the defensive. “ I 
don’t know what you mean,” she said coldly. 


74 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Sylvia is my very dear sister and if she felt that 
she was not welcome she, no doubt, had good rea- 
son to.” 

“ Tut, tut,” spoke up her grandmother. “ She 
spoke the truth. I am not particularly anxious to 
see her every day. I don’t blame you for stand- 
ing up for your sister, though it’s more than she 
does for you, I notice ; but you might have come 
sooner to see your old granny.” 

Nona bit her lip. She was inclined to resent 
the remarks about Sylvia and yet she knew that 
it was true that she should not have neglected 
her grandmother. “ Yes, I do suppose I might 
have come before, but one does not like to go 
where there is a scolding waiting for one.” 

“ Who is scolding ? Come here and help me 
with these seeds. Take off your things and draw 
up that chair. You can mark these while I sort 
them.” 

Nona obeyed and set her chair before the 
round table in front of which her grandmother 
was at work. The room was a large sunny one, 
with growing plants in the south windows, and 
it possessed a cheerful orderliness that was very 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 


75 


pleasant. Her grandmother sat in an old-fash- 
ioned rocking-chair cushioned by her own hands 
with a quaint flowered chintz. “ Now tell me,” 
said Mrs. Wilson, “ what has been going on. 
I hear a bit of gossip once in a while, but I like 
to have my news at first hand. What is this 
about a church concert ? ” 

“ There is to be one on the evening of St. Val- 
entine's Day," Nona told her, “ and we are all 
to wear old-fashioned costumes ; it is to be some- 
thing like an old-time singing-school. You’ll 
come in to it, won’t you, grandma ? " 

“ Not I. My old bones won't allow me to go 
out at night in February. I suppose Sylvia is 
in her element if there's any dressing up to be 
done." 

“ No, she's not particularly enthusiastic, but 
of course she’ll be the prettiest girl there," said 
Nona calmly. “Are these to be marked 
* Trophies '? " 

“ Let me see. Yes, those are Trophies. Syl- 
via hasn’t much of a voice, I am thankful to say." 

“ She can afford not to have, for she has pretty 
nearly everything else and her voice is very sweet, 


76 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


even if it isn’t powerful.” Sylvia was to be the 
bone of contention to-day, that was very evident. 
It was usually Sylvia or Mrs. Ridgely who was 
the target for Mrs. Wilson’s sharp remarks, and 
Nona was kept on the defensive to-day, as was 
generally the case. 

“ What’s she going to wear ? ” 

“ The blue brocade over a silk petticoat.” 

“ The one you had for your tableaux ? Why 
don’t you wear it yourself?” 

Nona was silent till she could frame a fitting 
reply which was : “ When there is only one dress 
of that kind in the family it is only proper that 
the elder should have the best right to it.” 

“ Humph ! ” Mrs. Wilson regarded Nona’s 
downcast face with some amusement. “ That 
doesn’t answer my question; what are you going 
to wear ? ” 

“ I don’t know.” 

“ And you came out here to see if I had any- 
thing for you, was that it ? ” 

Nona raised her eyes truthfully. “ Yes, that 
was it, although I meant to come anyhow, and 
I should have come sooner except for Sylvia’s dis- 


MRS . BENONI WILSON 


77 


couraging account of her last visit. I didn’t 
wish my head taken off.” 

“ You are a saucy child. Sylvia will never 
have that text about the ornament of a meek and 
quiet spirit upon her gravestone. She is about 
the most self-satisfied person I know, and how 
she gets around people passes my comprehen- 
sion. But most persons swallow flattery as fish 
do a bait and she is an arrant flatterer when she 
can gain anything by it. She pretends to be 
very gentle and beguiling, but she can show her 
claws fast enough once she is crossed.” 

Nona deliberately arose and put aside her 
work. Crossing the room she picked up her hat 
from the big haircloth sofa upon which she had 
laid it. 

“ Where are you going? ” asked her grand- 
mother. 

“ Home.” 

“ You are going to do nothing of the kind. 
You are a little goose. I can say what I choose 
of my own grandchild.” 

“ Not to me of my sister.” You can say what 
you choose, I suppose, grandmother, but it will 


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have to be to other ears than mine, for I will 
not stay to hear it.” 

“ You are a spunky little creature and you let 
Sylvia pull the wool over your eyes abominably. 
However, I will cry off and we’ll talk of some- 
thing else. I am a lonely old woman, Benona, 
and I don’t wish to antagonize the only creature 
I have left me to love. When you have suffered 
as I have done, perhaps you will be bitter, too.” 
Her lips trembled and her strong hands shook 
as she piled her packages of seeds one on top of 
the other. She was not really an old woman, 
and in spite of many griefs, bore herself erectly 
for her sixty years, with a strength and dignity 
that made her a capable manager. It was very 
seldom that she showed the feeling she now dis- 
played and Nona realized that she had felt, more 
than she cared to confess, the infrequency of her 
favorite grandchild’s visits. Therefore her heart 
melted within her, but still she hesitated. She 
must be loyal to Sylvia. If it came to a question 
of choosing between her grandmother and her 
sister it must be the latter who was to be con- 
sidered first of all. 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 


79 


She stood still for a moment and then she 
went up to her grandmother, laying her young 
cheek against her gray head. “ Don’t you think, 
grandma, that it would be very hard for you to 
hear anyone speak against a person you loved as 
I love Sylvia? Could you have borne it if any 
one had said harsh things of my mother, for in- 
stance ? ” 

Her grandmother turned from her sharply. 
“ Don’t let me hear you mention her in such a 
connection. Come around here where I can look 
at you, Nona. You remind me of your mother 
sometimes, in your looks as well as your ways. 
I wish you would come and stay with me.” 

“ To hear you berate my sister every day and 
to listen to harsh things of my father? You 
know we talked it all over and settled that, once 
and for all, after papa died, grandma, but I will 
come to see you oftener, though please, please, 
don’t say such things of Sylvia. I can’t stand 
it.” 

A little smile flickered around her grandmoth- 
er’s mouth. “ I’ll try not, but she affords me 
such excellent opportunities — as a text. Still 


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— there, I’ll not say another word — if I can 
help it. We will go back to that question of what 
you are to wear. Perhaps I can find you some- 
thing, but first let it be understood that you are 
to wear it. Under no consideration will I lend 
it to any one else. Do you agree to that ? ” 

“ Certainly. Who else would wear it ? I 
wouldn’t offer it to anyone, I am sure.” 

“ You wouldn’t offer it, but some one else 
might calmly appropriate it. I have something 
in mind and after dinner you can go up into the 
attic with me and get it. I wish you would ask 
the price of turkeys when you go back. Thad 
is so stupid and never goes beyond Johnson’s, 
and I don’t believe he gets the best market price. 
I still have quite a number to sell; they have 
thriven very well this year. You’ll not forget 
to ask and let me know ? ” 

“ I will remember.” 

“ Go tell Hannah to stir up a few pancakes for 
dinner, and here, take the keys and get out a bot- 
tle of blackberry wine ; it goes well with sugar as 
a sauce for the pancakes, or would you rather 
have peach marmalade and cream with pound 
cake for your dessert ? ” 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 


81 


“ Oh, pancakes, surely, and the peach mar- 
malade for supper.’" 

“ You’ll stay to supper? Then you’ll not go 
home till to-morrow.” Mrs. Wilson spoke with 
such real pleasure that Nona was more than ever 
conscience-stricken. After all, grandma did like 
to have her there and she could avoid angles for 
herself, though when it came to smoothing over 
matters for others it was not so easy. 

Hannah’s large proportions took up a deal of 
room in the kitchen, which was an apartment sep- 
arated by a covered way from the rest of the 
house, and the old colored woman here held her 
sway She was not a person to be lightly ap- 
proached, and Nona rather dreaded being messen- 
ger to her. She stood on the threshold of the 
room, from which savory odors issued, and gave 
her message. “ Grandma says, Aunt Hannah, 
will you please make some pancakes for dinner ? ” 

“ Who I gwine mek pancakes fo’ ? ” grunted 
Hannah. “ I doan nuvver ha’ to mek pancakes 
a Wednesda’. Miss Luke ain spectin’ I gwine 
do hit nuther.” She glared at Nona as if she 
had by some hocus pocus prevailed upon her 


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grandmother to disobey this law of the Medes 
and Persians. “ Hit a Wednesda’,” she re- 
peated, “ an’ I got my dinnah all lay out Dey 
gwine be pie dis day.” 

“ Oh, very well,” said Nona carelessly. “ Fm 
just telling you what grandma said.” And she 
disappeared, knowing very well that the pancakes 
would appear promptly, but knowing also from 
past experience that it was better not to raise 
an issue, and that Hannah's mutterings were as 
harmless as heat lightning. 

She always enjoyed the meals at her grand- 
mother's table, served as they were on old blue 
India china, with cut glass and silver a century 
old. She liked to sit where she could see the 
glow from the stove shining upon the brass 
warming-pan hanging by the tall chimney-piece, 
and where she could look through the western 
window at the embrowned fields and the straw- 
stack where the cows stood contentedly in the 
winter sunlight. It was all so peaceful except 
for that sarcastic, bitter spirit which dwelt 
within. She sighed as she thought of this, and 
her grandmother asked her, “ Why do you draw 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 


83 


such a long countenance, Nona? It isn’t becom- 
ing, I can tell you. Your face is thin enough at 
best. I advise you to cultivate a smile.” Then 
Nona did smile. “ I was thinking,” she said, 
“ how nice it would be if some people I know 
would become Quakers.” 

“ Why, pray? ” 

“ Because they would perhaps cultivate a love 
of peace.” 

Her grandmother wiped her lips with a hard 
little movement. “ My family were all fighters, 
I am happy to say. I come of Revolutionary 
stock on both sides. I have no patience with 
those people who allow themselves to be imposed 
upon and who weakly yield when they ought 
to make a stand for their rights. Pretty prog- 
ress there would be if there were none to protest 
for the claims of the weaker. There would be 
worse government and more outrageous imposi- 
tion and more disposition to anarchy than 
there is now if there were not a few brave souls 
to oppose tyranny, a few who have the courage 
of their convictions and are willing to fight for 
them. This cry of peace at any cost isn’t always 


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the noblest one. Half the time people are so in- 
ert and so chicken-hearted that they will sit still 
and take anything; they’ll see wrongs go un- 
righted and the weaker crushed under the heel 
of the stronger rather than raise a finger to pre- 
vent it, because, forsooth, they love peace.” 

Nona smiled. “ When I have a wrong to 
right, grandma, I hope I will have some one as 
belligerent as you to take up the cudgels for me.” 

Mrs. Wilson nodded her head. “ I can do it. 
I have fought many a battle and have seldom 
been worsted, unless,” she said gravely, “ by that 
unseen foe, Death.” She changed the subject 
almost immediately and said : “ Speaking of 

Revolutionary ancestors, I wish I had some old 
costumes for you, but I have nothing older than 
some of my own cast-off garments, those that I 
had when I was married. However, we may find 
something that will do. We can go up now and 
hunt through the chests if you have finished. 
Can you eat another pancake ? ” 

Nona shook her head. “ I could but I won’t. 
They are so good; no one makes them quite as 
good as Hannah does. I am ready.” 


MRS. BENONI WILSON 


85 


She followed her grandmother to the garret 
with a feeling of pleasant anticipation. To 
be sure there were now few remnants of a very 
old time, but there were still some of Mrs. Wil- 
son's girlish fripperies, and one or two gowns of 
a later period. These her grandmother drew out 
carefully. She looked at Nona critically as she 
smoothed out a soft gray silk. “ Speaking of 
Quakers," she said, “this is Quakerish enough, 
and I don't know but that it will suit you very 
well. There is a funny old beaver bonnet that is 
about the last of the things left from the last 
century, you may have that; and there are some 
laces in that trunk that you may have for a cross 
kerchief, if you wish to look like a little Puritan, 
or there is my old amber brocade, if you think 
that will suit you better." 

Nona gazed at the two gowns with speculative 
eyes. She found it hard to make up her mind. 
“ I wish you would choose for me, grandma. 
I really am so divided in my mind. Which would 
you rather I should take, and which is the most 
suitable? " 

“ The gray seems to me to be the best, and 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


when you have worn it as it is, you can make it 
over and it will look very well. I will keep the 
brocade till the next occasion, when — ” 

Nona gave her a look and Mrs. Wilson 
laughed dryly. “ When you have worn out the 
gray one,” she said. 

“ Here are a lot of old slippers,” said Nona, 
diving into the tray of a trunk. “ I have a pair 
that will do, but Sylvia hasn’t.” 

“ Not one single thing goes to Sylvia,” said 
her grandmother setting her mouth obstinately. 
“ She’s chosen to help herself to what was right- 
fully yours, so let her manage the rest as she 
can. Besides all those slippers are too small for 
her.” 

“ But she didn’t help herself; she asked me 
and I told her she might have the dress.” 

“ It amounts to the same thing, and she is not 
to touch a thing I give you, do you hear? Not a 
scrap of lace, not a feather. There, go along 
and carry those down.” So, with her arms piled 
up, Nona went down the garret stairs, feeling that 
she was well equipped, but that there was a drop 
of discomfort in her cup of satisfaction. She 


MRS. DENONI WILSON 


87 


would like to have shared with Sylvia, and 
though this she did not care to admit, she rather 
dreaded Sylvia’s envy of her possessions. 

True to her word, Mrs. Wilson kept the peace 
during the rest of Nona’s stay, and she went 
home bearing her “ loot ” as she laughingly 
called it, and being aware that her own relations 
with her grandmother were upon a pleasanter 
basis than ever. “ If grandma were not so 
dreadfully set in her notions and so prejudiced 
against Sylvia, I’d like to go there often,” she 
said to herself. 


CHAPTER VI 
Sylvia’s news 

But the question of the costumes sank into in- 
significance before the important piece of news 
which greeted Nona when she saw her sister. 
Sylvia grasped her by the waist and whirled her 
into the room before she had a chance to deposit 
her band-box and bundles, and these went tum- 
bling to the floor. Then Sylvia clasped her rap- 
turously, kissing her cheeks and whispering : 
“ Oh, Nona, Nona, you don’t know what has 
happened ; you don’t know. Oh, dear little Nona, 
I do love everybody so much. I am so happy.” 

“ Why? ” Nona managed to gasp. 

“ It’s all right,” said Sylvia, swinging Nona’s 
hands lightly. “ Graham was here last night, 
and that was why he was attentive to Emily; he 
was jealous and she knew it, and she told him it 
would be the best thing in the world for him if 

he appeared devoted to her, so I would see it. 

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SYLVIA’S NEWS 


89 


Oh, Nona, as if he had to do that. And so we 
talked it all over; that was afterward, you know, 
after he had said the other things about caring 
for me so much and all that, and so we are en- 
gaged, too. Isn’t it strange that there should 
be two engagaments right together that way? 
Our Old Folks’ Concert is doing wonders, isn’t 
it ? ” She gave her sister another ecstatic hug 
and Nona found voice to say: “Oh, dearest, I 
hope you will be happy, but it will be dreadful 
to lose you.” 

“ But you will not. You can live with me, 
you know. I think I shall be married before 
Emily is, because there hasn’t been a wedding in 
town for some time, and it will create more of a 
sensation than if Emily’s were to come first. She 
is to be married in the fall; I went right over 
there and told her, for she told me first. Won’t 
we have fun getting the trousseau? You will 
have to help me, for you can do such things so 
well. I’d like to have lots and lots of hand sew- 
ing ; it’s so much nicer than machine work.” 

“ Does mamma know ? ” 

“ No, I haven’t told anyone but Emily ; I 
wished to tell you first.” 


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“ But you have told Emily first,” returned 
Nona in an aggrieved tone. 

“I should have told you right away if you had 
been here. Don’t you think Graham is hand- 
some, Nona? Everyone will think we are a fine- 
looking couple, I know.” 

“ Of course they will.” Nona spoke rather de- 
jectedly, for the news was a shock. She couldn’t 
bring herself to the acceptance of the fact that 
Sylvia was going to leave her, for she was not 
happy at the prospect. Of course, she had known 
that Sylvia would marry some day, but it had 
seemed a long while off, and to have the news 
come thus suddenly upon her with the prospect 
of her marrying in the immediate future was too 
much. 

There was no cloud upon Sylvia’s horizon. 
She had forgotten all about the wretchedness 
which had preceded this happy state of affairs, 
and having once satisfied herself that she was 
safe, she did not think it worth while to take any 
further concern in the business of the forged let- 
ter. “ All’s well that ends well,” she laughingly 
said to Nona. “ That precious old letter that 


SYLVIA’S NEWS 


91 


you were so shocked about did us all a good turn, 
after all.” 

Nona dropped her sister’s hands and started 
back. “ You don’t mean to say you really wrote 
it, Sylvia, and that all this is the result?” 

“ Of course I do.” 

Nona sat down on a chair, and, covering her 
face with her hands, burst into tears. Sylvia 
regarded her with a slight frown. “ You silly 
little goose,” she said, “ aren’t you ashamed to 
cry over my happiness.” 

“ It isn’t that,” replied Nona, “ but it is be- 
cause — because you could be capable of doing 
such a dreadful thing. I couldn’t have believed it 
of you, Sylvia. I didn’t think you would stoop 
to such a thing.” 

“ I am sure you were the first one to propose 
it ; I should never have thought of it but for you, 
and it is all right. Nobody seems to be miser- 
able except yourself,” said Sylvia sarcastically. 
“ ‘ The greatest good to the greatest number ’ ; 
you’re fond of quoting that; why don’t you ac- 
cept the application ? ” 

But Nona continued to weep forlornly. It hurt 


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her beyond measure, and that Sylvia should see 
no harm in it was worse still. If she were capa- 
ble of one deception to gain her ends, why not of 
another, or any number of others? It was that 
which gave her the heartache. Her sweet, pretty 
sister, that she was so devoted to, must she lose 
any part of her respect and admiration, which 
heretofore she had been so ready to give her? 

Sylvia stood watching her, a pout upon her 
pretty lips. “ I think you’re very mean,” she 
said at last. “ Nobody is hurt. I don’t see what 
in the world you are crying about. Some of 
these days I shall tell Bennett and Emily what a 
joke I played upon them.” 

Nona lifted her head. “Don’t, Sylvia, don’t, I 
implore you. Please never do that. I couldn’t 
stand it.” 

“Couldn’t stand what?” asked Sylvia, look- 
ing slightly bewildered. 

“ That they should find out that you had ever 
done such an underhanded thing. Of course 
Bennett must know that somebody did it, but I 
hope he will never find out who it was.” 

“If you think anybody else is going to have 


SYLVIA'S NEWS 


93 


such a Puritan conscience as yours, you are mis- 
taken. I don’t doubt but that they would think 
it a huge joke, as I do. Still, as it seems to dis- 
tress you so much, I won’t tell.” 

“And I never will, never. It is your secret 
and mine, Sylvia. We must keep it.” And in 
that hour she took her first step in the direc- 
tion which placed Sylvia upon a different 
plane. She was no longer above her. She was 
an erring child, to be led up higher. Nona knew 
suddenly that her own horizon extended far away 
beyond the narrow limits of Sylvia’s world. It 
was the shattering of her first cherished illusion, 
and the young heart suffered intensely. 

Mrs. Ridgely received the news of Sylvia’s en- 
gagement with a pleased smile. It suited her ex- 
actly that one or both of the girls should marry. 
She was not for one moment to be persuaded that 
to her own future plans she could sacrifice her 
step-daughters, and so long as they needed her 
she would give them the care and attention they 
had always received from her. But once they 
were married, she, too, would be free, and then 
perhaps — . But of any possibilities she then had 


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in mind she did not think it worth while to speak. 
There was no objection to Graham Waters; he 
was a young man with no marked vices, if with 
no marked virtues; he was sufficiently able to 
support a wife and, though rather conceited and 
of no great intellectual ability, if he suited Syl- 
via there was no cause for complaint; therefore 
when Sylvia decided upon a June wedding Mrs. 
Ridgely readily gave a promise of co-operation. 

In the anticipation of so great an event, the 
concert was of minor importance, so far as Syl- 
via was concerned, yet she took sufficient inter- 
est to give attention to her pretty costume and to 
express herself respecting Nona’s stinginess in 
not sharing the laces with her, totally ignoring 
the fact of her grandmother’s word in the matter. 
“ She won’t be there, and she never in the world 
will know what I have on,” she told Nona. 

“ But she will ask me.” 

“Well, suppose she does, you can say you 
didn’t lend me any, for I will just take them.” 

“ Oh, but please don’t,” said Nona in distress; 
“ she would be sure to find it out in some way. 
I will lend you anything I possess, Sylvia, but I 
must keep my word.” 


SYLVIA’S NEWS 


95 


“ You’re much too stiff and particular ever to 
get through this world safely,” said Sylvia. “ I 
declare it is ridiculous how priggish you are over 
such little foolish matters. One would suppose 
you were to be brought before a court of justice 
to hear you talk. I believe it is all Margaret Fos- 
ter’s doings, and it comes of her going up every 
year to that queer Connecticut town. I suppose 
they still have Blue Laws and things up there. 
I am glad I don’t take life so seriously. Nobody 
expects people to be so literal. But if you don’t 
wish me to wear any of those things I won’t. 
Thank goodness, my happiness doesn’t depend 
upon my grandmother’s old scraps of lace.” 

“ I wish I could lend them to you,” said Nona, 
wistfully. “And Sylvia, you know Margie isn’t 
a bit Puritanical, for she is our cousin, and she 
has ideas as we have; it is ridiculous to talk as 
if those people where she goes in the summer were 
a hundred years behind the times.” 

“ Oh, well,” said Sylvia airily, “ it isn’t worth 
talking about.” 

Mrs. Wilson received the news of the engage- 
ment in grim silence. Sylvia went out herself to 


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announce it, and did not return with any increase 
of regard for her grandmother, for it was a fact 
that the old lady made herself distinctly disagree- 
able. Sylvia's pretty little ways, her trumpetings 
of how she had assisted in this or that good cause, 
her deprecatory protestings that she didn’t see 
why every one was so lovely to her, were valued 
for precisely what they were worth by this un- 
compromising old soul who despised affectations 
and set at naught all pretence ; and when Sylvia, 
thinking to propitiate her grandmother, told of 
the work of her Sunday School class, and that 
she was secretary of this club, and on the com- 
mittee of that guild, her grandmother looked over 
her spectacles and said coldly : “ When I was a 
girl we supposed those things were the natural 
duties of those professing to call themselves 
Christians, but we didn’t always make a point 
of letting our right hands know what our left 
hands were doing. I believe the crying upon the 
housetops was quite a Pharisaical performance.” 

Then Sylvia bit her lip and the tears filled her 
eyes. “ You are really cruel, grandma. I 
thought you would like to hear about what I have 


SYLVIA’S NEWS 


97 


been doing. I do those things because I like to.” 

“That they may be heard of men?” asked 
Mrs. Wilson. 

“ I’ll never go there again, never,” Sylvia told 
Nona passionately. And it is not surprising 
that she did not feel encouraged to. 

Meanwhile Nona was enjoying her rehearsals, 
and since Sylvia was so absorbed in her own af- 
fairs as to afford her sister but little companion- 
ship, the latter was glad of opportunities which 
gave her a personal interest in outside matters. 
It was a little wearisome to Nona to have Gra- 
ham, his compliments and opinions, the everlast- 
ing what “ he said ” and what “ I said,” made 
the sole topic of conversation when the sisters 
were alone, and she felt a relief from the strain 
upon her sympathies. Graham, upon closer ac- 
quaintance, did not appeal very strongly to her 
affections, and though she tried to feel a lively in- 
terest in him because he was to be her 
brother-in-law, she had only a mild liking 
for him. She always felt that he regarded her 
as a very colorless young girl, a mere twinkling 
little rushlight compared to Sylvia’s splendor as 


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a star of the first magnitude. She did not resent 
this for she told herself that it was perfectly nat- 
ural, but it was something of a relief to be al- 
lowed to shine by her own light and to find that 
in the company of certain others she was not un- 
important. 

The evening of the concert came at last and 
there was much bustle and chattering, and a great 
running back and forth behind the scenes. Syl- 
via, radiant in her square-cut bodice and quilted 
petticoat, was a dream of loveliness. Emily Gris- 
com, bright and full of fun, looked coquettishly 
from under her plumed hat. She caught Nona 
around the waist as she was going on the stage. 
“ Let me look at you, you little Puritan,” she 
said. “ You are the dearest Priscilla in this gray 
gown that I ever saw. Isn’t she the demurest, 
cunningest creature ? ” She looked up at Ran- 
dolph Harwood, who was passing. 

He stopped and Nona felt herself blush under 
his close scrutiny. “ I think she is the best rep- 
resentative of an eighteenth century maid that we 
have here this evening,” he said. 

“ Now did he mean that for a compliment or 


SYLVIA’S NEWS 


99 


not ? ” said Emily, laughing, as she looked after 
him. “ If he isn’t about the most wary individ- 
ual I ever saw I am mistaken. Don’t fall in love 
with him, Nona, for he will spend so much time 
weighing his words that they will lose all their 
spontaneity by the time they reach you. He is 
as unresponsive as a clam. Why didn’t he rave 
over you as he ought ? ” 

Nona laughed. “ Probably because he didn’t 
think the subject afforded sufficient grounds 
for enthusiasm.” 

“There’s the bass-viol; go along with you.” 
And Emily gave her a little push, for the time 
to go on had actually come. 

Then for the next hour the performers were 
conscious of nothing but that they must do their 
best, and all were absorbed in the singing. It 
was voted a great success and Nona received her 
share of compliments. Sylvia joined in the gen- 
eral acclaim and Nona felt that she must have 
done herself credit. Sylvia was contented be- 
cause she felt that what she lacked in voice she 
made up in looks, and therefore she had no re- 
proaches for Nona. 


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The next afternoon Nona was about to start 
out to the farm to give her grandmother an ac- 
count of the affair, when she was called into the 
library by Mrs. Ridgely. Sylvia was already 
there, her lips compressed, and a frown on her 
forehead. “ Come in, Nona,” she said. Mrs. 
Ridgely, bland and composed, was sitting before 
the fire. “ I have something to tell you which 
is really your right to know,” said the latter lady. 
“You are not in a hurry?” 

“ Not specially.” Nona seated herself. 

“ You may remember,” Mrs. Ridgely went on, 
“ that your father left this house to me. I have 
an opportunity of selling it, and as I shall not 
need it after next fall, I think I had better ac- 
cept the offer, but I do not wish to do so if you 
or Sylvia know any good reason why it should 
not be sold.” 

“ Oh, are we going away, or do you think it 
is too large for just two of us? Of course, after 
Sylvia is married it will seem as if it were larger 
than we shall need, but — ” 

“ Yes,” Mrs. Ridgely interrupted her, “ after 
Sylvia is married, that is just it. I have felt up 


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101 


to this time that my duty to you two girls must 
be my first and only one, and that so long as you 
both remained unmarried I would keep our home 
just as it was during your father’s lifetime ; but 
Sylvia’s marriage removes the necessity, and you 
will not have one or two, but three homes open 
to you. I shall always be very glad to share my 
home with you, and Sylvia says she must have 
you with her, and then there is your grand- 
mother’s. I say my home, for I shall go to the 
city in the fall, and during the summer I shall 
visit my sister.” 

“To the city?” 

“ Yes, I am to be married in October, Nona.” 

Nona stared at Sylvia, but though she looked 
annoyed she said nothing. She was secure in 
her own future and it did not matter very much 
to her what her step-mother chose to do. For 
a moment a sense of desolation swept over Nona. 
This place which had been her home all her life 
would be taken from her. The tears filled her 
eyes and she turned away her head. “ When do 
you give up the house?” she asked falteringly. 

“ Not till the first of July, after Sylvia’s mar- 


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riage, you know. Would you like to go with 
me to my sister’s then? I am sure you will be 
very welcome.” 

“ I don’t know what I should like to do. I 
cannot think about it so suddenly, mamma. Oh 
Sylvia, don’t you see I am the only one who has 
no joy in all this?” she cried out. 

“ Why not ? ” returned her sister. “ I am sure 
my happiness ought to be a joy to you, and you 
know, Nona, Graham is perfectly willing that 
you should come to us when we go to housekeep- 
ing, and I shall insist upon it. Dear me, I shall 
be dreadfully lonely in a house all day with no- 
body but servants, if you don’t come, and I shall 
need you.” 

This comforted Nona somewhat, but she felt 
that she was not very enthusiastic in her manner 
when she said : “ I hope you will be happy, 

mamma.” 

“ I think I shall be,” she returned in a satisfied 
tone. “ Mr. Martin is a very estimable man, a 
widower with no children except a grown son 
who is married. You see, Nona, it would be 
very prejudicial to my interests if I refused such 


SYLVIA’S NEWS 


103 


an offer, for if you were married I should be en- 
tirely alone, and as it is, it will be an advantage 
to you also if you should never marry and should 
need a home. I repeat it that mine is always 
open to you.” 

“ I am sure you are very kind,” replied Nona 
a little forlornly, her feeling of loneliness aug- 
mented by the suggestion. At the same time she 
realized that the offer was meant in all kindli- 
ness and sincerity and that she had no right to 
feel rebellious. Mrs. Ridgely had always been, 
and would continue to be considerate. “ I hope 
you will be very happy, both of you,” she re- 
peated. And then she went out. At this mo- 
ment her heart yearned for her grandmother, and 
she had worked herself up into such a pitch by 
the time she reached the farm, that when in her 
grandmother's presence she threw herself into the 
arms ready for her and sobbed miserably. 

“ Why, Benona, my child,” her grandmother 
said, stirred out of her usual calm, “ what is 
the matter ? ” 

Nona withdrew herself from the encircling 
arms and stood off. a little. “ I am very silly,” 


104 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


she said, “ but I feel as if the earth were giving 
way under me. Sylvia is to be married in June, 
you know, and the house will be sold and mamma 
will be married in October, and I am left/’ 

“ Then come to me.” Mrs. Wilson spoke 
triumphantly. “ I am not surprised to know 
this; in fact, I had suspected that it would come 
about.” She was glad, really glad, and at that 
moment she forgave the future Mrs. Martin the 
possession of her daughter’s married name since 
Mrs. Ridgely would soon renounce it. “ It is a 
very sensible thing for your step-mother to do,” 
she went on. “ Come to me, Nona.” 

“ But Sylvia wants me.” 

“ What for ? Won’t she have her precious 
Graham ? ” 

“ Yes, but she may need me, too. Sylvia can’t 
bear to be alone. She would mope all day in a 
house by herself. She is so dependent upon the 
society of others.” 

“ In other words, she finds herself such poor 
company that she can’t endure self-communion 
for long at a time. I don’t wonder.” 

“ Grandma, please.” 


SYLVIA’S NEWS 


105 


“ Ch well, I can't see Sylvia through your eyes ; 
you can't expect it. If she hasn’t resources 
within herself, she must be amused, I suppose, by 
some one else. I really think it would be rather 
difficult for anyone, even as vain as she is, to 
sit and pay herself compliments all day, and she 
must have them; they are her meat and drink. 
When you stop flattering her you will find that 
she doesn’t need you quite as much as you 
thought." 

* Oh grandma," said Nona again, “ please 
don't make me any more miserable." 

Her grandmother shook her head with a little 
smile. She was bent upon saying her worst of 
Sylvia to that young person’s fondest admirer. 
It may have been that Mrs. Wilson was a little 
jealous, and would fain have had Nona centre 
her affections upon herself. However, she said 
no more just then except : “ Tell me of the con- 
cert." 

“ It went off beautifully, and everyone said 
my dress was just right. I was scared to death 
at first, but I forgot myself in a little while. Was 
it you who sent me that lovely bunch of trailing 


106 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


arbutus? It was the finishing touch, everyone 
said, and they all called me Priscilla, the Puritan 
maiden. I must put on the dress and show you 
how nice it looks.” 

“ I send you arbutus ? Where should I get it ? 
It is too early to find it about here.” 

“ I thought of course it was you Sylvia 
thought so, too. Who could it have been ? ” 

“Sylvia thought so? Humph! Go on, tell 
me more.” 

“ We all sang our best, the old songs you 
know, and we wound up with Old Hundred. I 
really was thrilled. I felt as if I were my own 
great-great-grandmother ; the sound of the bass- 
viol and the old costumes and all that, gave me 
the queerest feeling of being set back a hundred 
years. Oh, I did enjoy it.” 

“ What did you sing? ” 

Nona told her. “ And they gave me an en- 
core and I sang ‘Phyllis Has Such Charming 
Graces/ The duet was good, they said, and I 
didn’t mind that, for Mr. Harwood gave me con- 
fidence.” 

“ Harwood ? He is the young man who has 


SYLVIA’S NEWS 


107 


come here within the last year or so? A college 
chum of Bennett Duvall’s, you said. I wonder 
if he has a taste for trailing arbutus.” 

Nona looked up surprised. “ I never thought 
of that. Oh, no, I don’t believe it was he.” Yet 
the suggestion was not an unpleasant one and re- 
curred to her more than once. But she did not 
tell Sylvia of her grandmother’s surmise, for she 
felt that she would like to keep it to herself. 




CHAPTER VII 

CHANGES 

“ There is nothing that one can rely upon al- 
together except the fact of change,” said Mrs. 
Wilson, and Nona felt how true this was as the 
summer approached and preparations went for- 
ward for the final breaking up. 

“ I feel like a plant torn up by the roots,” she 
told Mr. Harwood one evening. They had be- 
come good friends since the concert, and though 
he did not often call, he did sometimes drop in 
for an evening of singing, and Nona had grown 
to look forward to his visits with more pleasure 
than she usually felt in those of other young men. 
She was looking thinner and paler than usual, 
for she had been sewing steadily for Sylvia. Who 
could resist that pretty plea that it would be so 
lovely to know that Nona’s dear hands had set 

the stitches in her wedding garments, and that 
108 


CHANGES 


109 


they would have twice the value because of that? 
“ Dear Nona, it is so sweet of you to wish to 
please me. Do you think you would mind hem- 
stitching one more petticoat ? I’d so like to have 
it.” Such things as these Nona daily heard and 
so when the warm days came she was still put- 
ting her neat stitches while Sylvia took long 
drives and walks with Graham, or carried a bit 
of ruffling over to Emily Griscom’s, coming 
home with six inches of lace sewed on it. “ I 
simply can’t work,” she would say. “ I am so 
restless. Besides, I can’t do it half so well as 
you, anyhow, Nona. Just finish this for me; 
any time will do. There is Graham and I must 
go.” And she would give Nona a peck of a kiss 
and run down stairs leaving the unfinished sew- 
ing. 

But the wedding day once over Nona had time 
to think, and was not happier because of being 
less busy* It had been a beautiful wedding, every- 
one said, and in her office of maid of honor Nona 
had a large share in it. There were roses every- 
where, and the bridesmaids, of whom Emily 
was one, in their rose-wreathed hats looked quite 


110 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


in keeping with the season. The church was 
filled to its utmost capacity, and the whispers of 
“ Isn’t she lovely? ” “ What a beautiful bride,” 

reaching Sylvia’s ears as she walked up the aisle, 
were as nectar to her. She was really much in 
love and as she leaned on the arm of her hand- 
some husband on the way to the carriage she 
felt that the supreme moment of her life had 
come, and when she drove away there was not a 
cloud upon her sky. 

Perhaps it was because of the atmosphere of 
sentiment which surrounds a wedding that Ran- 
dolph Harwood felt strongly moved to call upon 
the bride’s sister the next evening. He had not 
forgotten the episode of the forged letter, and 
only that day had been given an opportunity of 
examining it, for Emily, all this time, had 
teasingly refused to allow Bennett possession 
of it. The wedding had brought her own 
approaching bridal day very near to her and she 
was disposed to yield any point which Bennett 
might make, and therefore he had triumphantly 
brought the letter to his friend. Together they 
had examined it; Randolph studied each word 


CHANGES 


111 


and letter, looked at the water-mark on the pa- 
per, and confessed himself nonplussed, but not 
discouraged. 

“ I never use paper like that,” Bennett told 
him. 

“ Do you know who does ? ” 

“ No, but we’ll look out for it. You see it is 
neat, but rather old-fashioned in shape and tex- 
ture, yet there is something pleasantly individual 
about it. It certainly is not the kind that comes 
done up in boxes such as we see at Stiles’s, and 
which half the people in the town buy.” 

With the letter upon his mind Randolph took 
his way to the old Ridgely house, so soon to pass 
into other hands. He wondered how Nona felt 
about it. The little, slim, girlish figure rose 
pathetically before him. “ By Jove,” he said 
to himself, “ I believe it was she I was watching 
all the time during the wedding, and the expres- 
sion of her eyes haunts me. Am I as interested 
as all that? Pshaw ! it’s the influence of the wed- 
ding; such things always do arouse all a man’s 
sentiment. I believe I’ll not go there to-night.” 
Nevertheless, the impulse was too strong for 
him and he went. 


112 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Nona all in white, sat in the cool, dim parlor. 
The odor of roses still filled the air. “ I feel like 
hearing some music/’ said Mr. Harwood. “ Is 
it too warm ? ” 

“ No, I think not, but I am in a melancholy 
mood and I have been poring over my mother’s 
old music books, for nothing but ‘ Joys That 
We’ve Tasted ’ or ‘ The Old Sexton ’ seems to 
appeal to me just now.” 

“ You are going to leave your old home, aren’t 
you ? I suppose that must give you a pang.” He 
approached the piano and turned over the pages 
of the old music-book. “ Sing this, won’t you ? 
‘ She Wore a Wreath of Roses ’ ; to me, it is 
beautiful.” 

“ Yes, isn’t it? But it reminds me of yester- 
day and that Sylvia — ” 

“ Never mind,” he said hastily; “I ought to 
have known better than to select that. We’ll have 
something else, a real rollicking song that will 
drive away your blues.” He sat down to the 
piano and burst out into a funny Irish song 
which he sang very well. “ There,” he said, 
when it was finished, “ you sit down and sing me 


CHANGES 


113 


a merry roundelay, as they used to call it. 
Where’s the dancing, tripping little spring song 
you had here the other evening ? ” 

Nona found it and put it on the rack, and pro- 
ceeded to sing it in her true sweet voice, Ran- 
dolph watching her the while. “ What a dear 
guileless little face it is,” he thought. “ There 
is a great deal of character there, too; patience 
and strength of purpose and all that in the lines 
of her mouth. It is true that she is not a bit like 
her sister, as I have heard some persons deplore, 
but I believe I admire her face more.” 

“ That is good,” he said when she had con- 
cluded. “ Thank you, Miss Nona. I believe 
that suits your voice as well as anything you sing. 
By the way, if you can give me the words of that 
little poem that we were talking about the other 
day, I think I can set it to a melody.” 

“ Oh, can you? I should like that. You can 
be singing something while I copy it for you; 
there are only three stanzas that I remember.” 
She busied herself over her task while Mr. Har- 
wood sang softly. “ It is too warm to sing,” he 
said as she handed him the verses. “ Sup- 


114 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


pose we sit outside where it is cooler. I want 
your opinion on a legal matter.” 

Nona laughed. “ I am afraid it will not be 
worth much.” 

“ Oh yes, it will. It is a point in which morals 
are concerned more than law, and who is better 
able to judge of a matter of principle than a truly 
good woman ? ” 

Nona was silent. A compliment from Ran- 
dolph Harwood was a rarity and one of this kind 
was to be valued. They seated themselves on the 
little porch by the front door. The electric light 
at the corner beyond threw sharp shadows of the 
vines that clambered up the sides of the porch, 
and made Nona’s white dress and the soft curve 
of her cheek stand out in distinct contrast to the 
dimness behind her. 

“Now present your case,” she said, smiling 
faintly. 

“ It is a case of forgery,” said Mr. Harwood 
coming at once to the point. “ Do you think 
there could be an occasion where it would be 
justifiable? ” 

The slim hand holding a fan clenched the han- 


CHANGES 


115 


die of it tightly. “ No,” she answered, half aud- 
ibly. 

“ I am glad to hear you say that. I suppose in 
war times that it may sometimes be excused when 
there is a need to deceive the enemy, but I should 
always rather try something else in the way of 
strategy.” 

“ What exactly is your definition of forgery? ” 
asked Nona. 

“ The crime of counterfeiting or falsifying, I 
should say.” 

“ It must always be a crime then, even when it 
does no one harm ? ” 

Mr. Harwood looked at her sharply. Her face 
wore a strained look and her eyes were full of 
eager inquiry. 

“ In the proper sense, yes, though in some cases 
I suppose we might apply a milder term; but in 
any event it must be deceit.” 

“ Deceit, yes,” whispered Nona. 

“If you knew a person who deliberately set to 
work to deceive through forgery, could you ever 
trust him or her again ? ” 

“ I don’t — know.” The words came halt- 
ingly. 


116 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ It seems to me,” Mr. Harwood went on, 
“ that a person who, to gain an end, no matter 
what, could go to work deliberately to plan a 
forgery is not to be trusted. If he could do so in 
a small matter, when the temptation came for a 
larger affair he would as willingly compass it. 
Don’t you think so? ” 

“ Oh, no, no,” Nona cried out in distress. 
“ He might be tempted once as you say, but if it 
happened to be a case where it did no one harm, 
he might think nothing of it; whereas if it took 
the proportions of a crime that would injure an- 
other he would not necessarily be tempted to do 
it.” 

Mr. Harwood shook his head. “ I can’t agree 
with you. I think it would be easier a second 
time, especially if no evil results followed the 
first act, and the criminal happened not to be 
found out.” 

“ Criminal ! ” The word sounded frightful in 
Nona’s ears. “ Then you think a person who 
simply deceives to gain an end, perhaps really a 
good end, must always be called a criminal ? ” 

“ That does sound rather harsh, I admit. I 


CHANGES 


ill 


suppose there are cases where it might be a mere 
deceit, but I should think the person who did even 
that must be lacking in principle.” 

“ I think I should consider the motive,” said 
Nona thoughtfully. “ If it were done for an- 
other’s sake, it might be from over-zealous- 
ness, but it seems to me it might be more easily 
forgiven.” 

“ But if it were done solely for oneself? ” 

“ That would be another thing.” 

“And you could not so easily forgive it. I 
agree with you. Well, Miss Nona, we might 
spend an evening discussing this, but in the main, 
I think you agree with me. I am glad you set 
your face against deceit. We lawyers have some 
curious questions to settle sometimes and I am 
often puzzled, not so much over the strictly legal 
points, as over the moral ones. What have you 
decided for your summer plans ? ” 

“As soon as mamma and I get everything set- 
tled about the house, I shall go to one of my 
cousin’s for a visit, and then I shall stay with 
grandma till Sylvia goes to housekeeping; that 
will be in the fall, I suppose, and then I shall go 


118 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


to her. She will need me, for I am sure she will 
be lonely in a house all day by herself. You 
don’t know my grandmother, do you, Mr. Har- 
wood ? ” 

“ No, I think I have never seen her except at 
Miss Sylvia’s wedding.” 

“ She rarely comes into town, but she is quite a 
wide-awake person. I think that you would find 
her interesting, and that you would agree on 
many points, though she does not get along with 
every one.” 

“ I hardly know whether that is complimentary 
to me or not, but you quite arouse my curiosity. 
Will you take me to see her ? ” 

“ I should like to. I am going out to spend 
Sunday night with her. How would you like to 
go with me and stay to tea? It is not a long 
walk.” 

“ But a hot one in June. I think we would do 
better to drive out, if you think my going will 
not inconvenience Mrs. Wilson.” 

“ No, it will not ; she will be very glad to see 
you and I will send her word that we are com- 
ing.” 


CHANGES 


119 


Mr. Harwood had risen and was about to take 
his leave. “ I will not forget the little song,” he 
said, “ I will have it ready for you as soon as I 
can get the time to look up the music. Good- 
night/ ’ 

He left her standing on the steps of the porch. 
Once he looked back as he crossed the street. 
She was still standing there, her head bent and 
her hands folded in front of her. “ She is a 
dear little girl,” thought Randolph. “ She was 
interested in that forgery matter. I wonder if 
it was more than an ordinary interest, or if she 
suspected or knows anything about Bennett’s let- 
ter.” 

The next day Bennett came into the office and 
said : “ Ran, I suppose you don’t happen to 

have any paper like that on which the mystery is 
written.” 

“ No,” said Randolph. “ Why? ” 

“ Because I thought I would like to make a 
copy of that letter and give it to Emily. It 
expresses my sentiments, but I don’t like the idea 
of her possessing a forgery, so I shall give her a 
bona fide epistle written by myself in place of it, 


120 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


and I thought if I could find a sheet of the same 
kind of paper I should like to have it.” 

“ And you’ll keep the original forgery ? ” 

“ No, I’ll tear it up.” 

“ Don’t do that ; at least not yet. Give it to 
me.” He held out his hand. 

“Oh, you cautious old fox. I am not through 
with it yet.” 

“But you’ll give it to me when you are?” 

“ Under the promise that you will destroy it 
before I am married.” 

“ I agree. I think, perhaps, I can discover the 
writer meantime.” 

“ I shouldn’t bother. I’ll go up to Stiles’s and 
see if he has any paper like this.” He went out, 
returning in a short time. 

“ Get it? ” asked Randolph. 

“ Yes, I have a quire of it to spoil.” He sat 
down to his desk and busied himself with copy- 
ing the letter, which was not a long one. 
“ There,” he said when his task was accomplished, 
“ I believe that is a fair copy and it is genuine. 
Here’s the other one for you. Some day you 
might like to have it for your own personal use, 


CHANGES 


121 


and I shall not object to your making use of it. 
I feel better now that it is never to go back to 
Emily. I will take mine to her this evening. 
Here, you may as well have a little of this paper, 
too; it may help you ‘in your detective business. 
I declare, Ran, I’d rather you’d drop the whole 
thing. I don’t care a rap who wrote it. What 
is the use of raking up any sort -of fuss? ” 

“ Well, I promise not to prosecute my in- 
quiries too far, though I must say the thing in- 
terests me, and, as I said before, I wish to steer 
clear of the fellow who did it.” 

“Nonsense; it was only a joke, I’ll bet, and 
it’s all right, anyhow. You take things too 
seriously.” 

Randolph tucked the despised letter away in 
his pocket and thought no> more of the matter 
for some time. He was really quite willing that 
it should die out, although he was curious about 
it, but he had no desire to make any trouble. He 
found himself looking forward to Sunday with 
more than usual eagerness. He told himself it 
was because he would enjoy the experience of 
meeting such an original character as he knew 


122 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Mrs. Wilson to be; but as he drove up before the 
Ridgely house he felt a thrill of pleasure at the 
thought of the girl who was to be his companion 
for the drive. 

She came out looking very sweet and fair in 
her big hat and light dress. Her taste was much 
simpler than Sylvia’s, who for such an occasion 
would have adorned herself in gorgeous attire. 

The way was not long and it was pleasant even 
in the heat of a summer afternoon. Mrs. Wil- 
son was expecting them and came forward as 
they drew up before the door. She looked very 
cool and comfortable in an old-fashioned muslin 
which showed lavender sprigs on white ground. 
She .was pleased that Nona had brought the 
young man to see her, and was her brightest, 
amusing him by her dry wit and her caustic lit- 
tle criticisms of persons and things. It was evi- 
dent from the first that she took a liking to this 
friend of her granddaughter’s, and she treated 
him royally in the way of ordering out her best 
silver and damask and in giving him such a sup- 
per as taxed Aunt Hannah’s best skill at cooking. 

There was much to say of the wedding, and 


CHANGES 


123 


Mrs. Wilson, even in the presence of this stranger, 
could not refrain from a casual fling at Sylvia, 
much to Nona’s distress. 

“ I am afraid your grandmother is a tease,” 
said Mr. Harwood as Nona began to make ex- 
postulatory speeches. “ Why don’t you agree 
with her, Miss Nona, and that would destroy 
her fun?” 

“ I can’t,” said Nona. “ I should have to pre- 
tend, and she would find me out at once.” 

Mrs. Wilson laughed, and excusing herself 
that she might go in and give her orders, the 
two young persons were left together out under 
the trees. The place was beautiful in summer, 
and in the peaceful shadows of its great trees it 
was not warm. 

“ I remembered another stanza to that little 
song,” said Nona, “ and if you happen to have 
it with you I can add it.” 

“ I think I have it here,” said her companion, 
feeling in his pocket for the folded sheet of paper 
which he drew forth and handed to Nona. 

She took it and opened the sheet. Suddenly 
she turned as white as the paper itself. She 
handed it back with a shaking hand. 


124 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ This is not it,” she said tremulously. 

He took the proffered page and glanced at it. 
Uttering a sharp exclamation he was about to 
put it back in his pocket, but he still held it as 
he looked for a second sheet which he presently 
found. He held the two sheets of paper, one 
in each hand, and compared them ; they were ex- 
actly alike. On one was written the little poem, 
on the other the forged letter. Mr. Harwood 
held out the latter. “ Miss Nona,” he said, “ did 
you ever see this before ? ” 

She made no answer, but the blood dyed her 
face scarlet, and she met his eyes appealingly. 
He repeated his question, looking at her as 
though he would read her very soul. 

“ No,” she faltered faintly. 

He gave a deep sigh, folded the papers and 
put them both back into his pocket, and then by 
common consent they went back to the porch 
to join Mrs. Wilson, who had come out again 
and was sitting there. Nona was very pale, and 
Randolph Harwood’s face wore its most serious 
look. 

Nona wondered how she could get through 



“Miss Nona, did you ever see this before?” 






























































































































CHANGES 


125 


the evening, and was glad when Mr. Har- 
wood took his leave. Their talk had been of 
commonplace things, and Nona was satisfied to 
let her grandmother bear the weight of the con- 
versation. “ He suspects me, and I must let 
him,” was the thought that continually ran 
through her mind, so that she heard very little 
that was said. And as he drove away he said 
to himself : “ Poor little girl, she did it for her 
sister.” He remembered the events of the past 
winter; Graham’s devotion to Sylvia, the sudden 
change in his attentions, and then the announce- 
ment of Sylvia’s engagement following so closely 
that of Emily’s. By degrees he connected the 
chain of circumstances and determined at the 
last that Nona was guilty. He felt a compas- 
sionate longing to help her, but he steeled his 
heart against all gentle feelings when he remem- 
bered the deceit. 

As for Nona, she was very miserable and shed 
bitter tears that night, for she knew that now 
she had lost the respect of the man she most ad- 
mired and liked and that she could do nothing to 
restore his esteem. 


CHAPTER VIII 


A PLACE OF PEACE 

It was more than a month before Nona saw 
Randolph Harwood again, for the next week she 
left the town to make a visit to her cousin, Mar- 
garet Foster, whose summers were spent in a 
drowsy old Connecticut village, though in win- 
ter with her parents and brother she lived in an 
apartment in New York. Margaret and Nona 
had always been good friends and had been room- 
mates at school. When in the dusk of the even- 
ing the stage drove up before the white house 
where the Fosters lived, Margaret was on the 
sidewalk to welcome her cousin. She was a little 
body, quick and lively, and full of fun, and Nona 
knew she was sure of having anything but a 
stupid time when in her company. 

“ It is good to see you,” she exclaimed ; 
“ that is, if it is seeing in this light. Come 

right in, Jabez will see to your trunk.” The 
126 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


127 


very loquacious stage-driver already had it 
on his shoulder. He had given Nona all 
the news of the village during her three 
miles drive from the railroad station, and as 
Margaret ushered her into the house, Nona rat- 
tled off the various items of information, to Mar- 
garet’s delight. 

“ Wouldn’t anyone know Jabez Camp had 
driven you up from the station ? ” she said ; “ he 
is such a talker.” 

“ It was so funny,” responded Nona, “ to hear 
all those things about people I never saw. Is it 
true that the Methodist minister washes his own 
dishes, and does his wife order him around that 
way ? ” 

“ They say so,” returned Margaret laughing, 
“ but I cannot vouch for it. Dear soul, he is the 
very salt of the earth, and every one loves him. 
But never mind our neighbors, Nona. Come and 
have some supper; we saved it for you. Wasn’t 
it too bad that I wasn’t able to go to the wedding ? 
If you could have seen my face, all swollen out 
with mumps, you wouldn’t have envied me. Let 
me see how you look.” She held her cousin un- 


128 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


der the swinging lamp in the hall. “ You are 
too thin and pale. You have been working your- 
self to death over Sylvia’s clothes; I know you 
have, and then there was all that packing up to 
be done. But now you shall do nothing but rest 
and have a good time.” 

“ I am so glad to see you,” sighed Nona. “ I 
have been longing for you, Margie. I feel lonely 
now that Sylvia is married. She did make such 
a lovely bride.” 

“ I can well imagine it. She did not have a 
very long engagement, did she ? ” 

“ No, not very, but then you know she has 
known Graham all her life and that makes a dif- 
ference.” 

“ Oh, of course, though I should rather have 
been in less of a hurry, but I suppose the break- 
ing up of your home had something to do with 
it.” 

“ It had nearly everything to do with it. I 
think Sylvia would not have been in any hurry, 
otherwise.” 

“ Isn’t it good that Maurice is coming up on 
his vacation while you are here? We’ll have no 
end of fun. Have you seen any of the girls?” 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


129 


“ Not one. How soon we drift apart after 
we leave school. I really think I should like to 
go back, Margie.” 

“ I shouldn’t. I’d rather take up the studies I 
like, as I shall do next winter, languages and lit- 
erature. I am not a ‘ sassiety lady ’ to any great 
extent. I like a good time, but I don’t call it a 
good time to be in a continual ferment over your 
clothes and to be ruining your complexion by 
turning green with envy when other girls outdo 
you in some direction. I like a jolly good crowd 
of girls and boys with no nonsense -about them. 
Oh, one of our girls is coming up to Ada North’s. 
Lucilla Watson, you know. Do you remember 
how we used to call her Silly, and how mad it 
used to make her? She is quite a fine girl, Ada 
says. I rather hope though, that she will not 
come while you are here, for I want Ada’s brother 
Julian to devote himself to you while you are 
here. He is at home this summer from Yale. I 
am quite curious to see how you will like him. I 
should think you would be glad to have Sylvia 
married, for now she cannot monopolize all the 
beaux. Tell me, is there anyone you like very 


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much down home?” So Margaret rattled on 
while Nona ate her supper. It was good to be in 
the company of this fresh, wholesome girl again. 
The two had much in common, for they had been 
comrades at school and for three years had been 
side by side in their studies and in their school 
experiences. 

Mr. and Mrs. Foster had gone to a neighbor's 
and so the two girls had an uninterrupted 
talk. They sat in the open doorway enjoy- 
ing the coolness. The street with its double 
row of elms straggled up hill to a graveyard and 
down again to a brook and at last lost itself in 
the country road. On each side the way were the 
white houses so typical of a New England town, 
with a door in the middle and two windows on 
each side, a small covered porch before the door 
and a grass plot in front. The house where the 
Fosters spent their summers was the home of Mr. 
Foster’s boyhood and he loved to return to it. 
His wife would have preferred a cottage on the 
Maine coast, or a country house on Maryland’s 
bay shore, but she yielded to her husband’s de- 
sire, and had really grown to like the quiet little 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


131 


town with its oddities. Nona was very fond of 
this aunt, her father's sister, and always wel- 
comed an invitation to visit her home. 

The two girls talked incessantly till they saw 
Mr. and Mrs. Foster approaching and then they 
went out to meet them. 

“ It is Nona," said Mrs. Foster, peering 
down into her niece’s face. “ I am so glad 
you have come, child. We were obliged to go 
out, for we had promised this evening to an old 
college mate of your uncle Alvin’s." 

“ I hope you had a good time, Aunt Celia." 

“ Yes, we did. Mrs. Hoyt was quite serene, 
for everything went off beautifully." 

“ That is not usual," said Margaret. 

Mrs. Foster laughed. “ No, but it happened 
so on this occasion. We still find this place de- 
lightfully amusing, Nona. There were at least 
half a dozen dear good women in the company 
who were rejoicing over the fact that a certain 
convict had served his time and was again among 
us." . 

“ Why, Aunt Celia, what do you mean ? ’’ 

“ Fact, my dear,’’ returned Mrs. Foster sitting 


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down on the porch. “ He is an Irishman who is 
a sort of factotum about town, and can be called 
upon for odd jobs. While in a drunken frenzy 
he came near killing his old mother ; he was sent 
to jail, and in his absence there was nobody to 
weed gardens, to whitewash kitchens, to shake 
carpets, or do like offices, and the town has 
mourned him sadly. With his return the 
spirits of the housekeepers have risen and to- 
morrow will see him booked for more orders 
than he can fill. '"We are Arcadian in our 
simplicity. I assure you it has not changed 
a particle since you were here four years 
ago. We can promise you no dances, but we 
can offer you a church supper once a week. 
There are four churches and once a month 
each gives a supper and we go to them 
all. It is quite an occasion and everyone con- 
tributes impartially, be she Methodist, Congrega- 
tionalism Episcopalian or Baptist. It saves the 
housekeepers from preparing that one supper once 
a week and is a sort of mild festivity when they 
can meet for a dish of gossip. Only about half 
a dozen families can get servants, — we had to 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


133 


bring ours from the city, — and we lend them 
for the church suppers as we do our dishes and 
silver, and so you see we are very primitive.” 

Nona thought so the next day when the neigh- 
bor across the street went to the post-office in 
her gingham apron, and when the minister’s 
dog went trotting complacently by in company 
with the doctor’s fox terrier, each holding a leg 
of the doctor’s trousers in his mouth. One had 
but to sit on the porch for an hour to be offered 
endless entertainment, for Margie had some hu- 
morous, weird, or pathetic tale to tell of nearly 
every passer-by. 

The neighbors, for all that they sallied forth 
in their calico gowns and gingham aprons, were 
bright and interesting with houses full of rare 
old china and fine pieces of furniture which had 
descended to them from some way-back ances- 
tors, and Nona grew to like the kindly villagers 
and their immaculate houses. 

However, both she and Margaret were count- 
ing upon Maurice’s coming for their good time, 
and when he appeared a day or two later they 
greeted him joyously. He was a bright, alert, 


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young fellow four or five years older than Mar- 
garet, and having finished his course at college 
was now in a banking house in New York. He, 
too, looked at Nona critically. “ What have you 
been doing to yourself, Cousin Nona?” he asked. 
“ You seem too quiet and you don’t look up to 
the mark.” 

“ I am all right,” returned Nona, “ but you 
know there have been some exciting times in 
our family, and I think they have rather worn 
on me.” 

“ Yes, yes, I know. Sylvia has left you and the 
old home is sold, and Mrs. Ridgely is going to 
be married. Quite enough in one year, I should 
say. Let us take her to New York, Margie, and 
see if we can’t wake her up; she looks too pen- 
sive.” 

“ Maybe she’s in love,” laughed Margaret. 

Nona flushed up. “ I am not then.” 

“ I half believe it,” teasingly persisted Marga- 
ret. “ You’ve had that far-away look in your 
eyes ever since you came.” 

“ Never mind,” said Maurice. " Jim Mac- 
leod is coming up for his vacation and we’ll get 
up some jolly larks.” 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


135 


He was as good as his word and the next few 
weeks were very care-free and happy ones for 
Nona. She felt perfectly at home with these rel- 
atives ; they were very fond of her and there was 
no jarring element to disturb the peace. Almost 
every day a little company of six might be seen 
starting out on some pleasant excursion. Ada 
North and her brother Julian, Maurice Foster 
and his sister, his cousin and his friend made up 
the party. One day it would be a picnic, an- 
other a fishing party, again a trolley ride to some 
point where supper was to be had or good music 
was to be heard. Between times there were merry 
doings at home when the tinkle of a banjo was 
to be heard or a chorus of college songs waked 
up the dull little town. To Nona usually fell as 
escort Julian North, who was a pleasant fellow 
given to sketching, to taking artistic photographs, 
and to playing rather well on the organ. Maurice 
usually paired off with Ada, and to Margaret was 
left Jim Macleod, a great tall fellow with blond 
hair and humorous blue eyes. By his side little 
Margaret looked like a midget, but the two took 
tramps and drives together while Maurice seemed 
perfectly well satisfied to devote himself to Ada. 


136 


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It was one August afternoon that Julian leaned 
over toward Nona and said in a low voice : “ Do 
you feel like creeping up hill to the graveyard? 
There is a stunning place to sketch there, and I 
want to make a photograph of those old apple 
trees along the wall; they are so picturesque.” 

Nona nodded. “ Fll go.” 

“ You won’t have to wear a hat,” said Julian. 
“ I’ll take an unbrella.” They left the others sit- 
ting on the porch, Maurice lazily swinging in the 
hammock, Jim chaffing Margaret who was amus- 
ing herself by pelting him with little balls of 
paper. 

“ Where are you two going?” she asked. 
“ You must have ambition if you go beyond the 
sidewalk this hot afternoon.” 

“ We’re not going far,” Nona told her, “ only 
up to the graveyard.” 

“ Don’t fall by the way, then. It will be nice 
and cool there on top of the hill, if you ever live 
to get there. She is such a dear,” she added as 
her cousin went off. “ There was never anything 
the least affected or underhanded about Nona. 
She is as open as the day. I must say I like frank- 
ness.” 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


137 


“ Miss Margaret, you have gathered a fine 
crop of freckles this summer, haven’t you?” 
said Jim cheerfully. 

Margaret flung an extra large pellet at him. 
“ When I said frankness I didn’t mean to the 
point of brutality,” she said. She arose from her 
place and leaned on the railing of the porch. 
“ They are going at a snail’s pace,” she said, 
“ and Julian is armed with his camera and sketch- 
ing things, so they mean to make an afternoon 
of it.” 

Nona and Julian were slowly climbing the hill, 
an effort which brought them some discomfort, 
for the sun beat down mercilessly and the air 
was close and sultry. 

“ Courage, Miss Nona,” laughed Julian, “ we 
will rest at the top. I think it is really more than 
we bargained for. There is not a soul on the 
street, and look over there, even the domestic 
labors of the good minister have ceased; he has 
finished his dishes and is resting under that big 
tree.” 

“ Dear man,” said Nona. " I hope he is 
happy. He has a book and I hope he enjoys it. 


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They say his wife is very particular about what 
he reads. Let us hope this is not stolen fruit, and 
that it is too warm for her to descend upon him 
and rob him of it.” But just then they heard a 
sharp voice striking the still air. “ William, 
where are you?” 

“ Here, dear,” came in mild tones from the 
minister. 

Mrs. Dickson in a lanky calico gown appeared 
at the door, her thin form appearing thinner be- 
cause of the lightness of her attire. She looked 
this way and that and the couple traveling up the 
hill saw the minister slip his volume into his 
pocket and rise from his seat under the tree. 

“ Now, there,” exclaimed Nona in a tone of 
commiseration, “ he will have no more rest ; she 
has spoiled his quiet hour. I wish some one 
would suppress her. She is too much for my en- 
durance.” 

“ That good man follows too closely to the 
beatitude : 4 Blessed are the meek/ ” laughed 

Julian. “ If he would get mad and throw some- 
thing at her just once, he’d have a better chance 
of inheriting the earth. As it is, he isn’t al- 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


139 


lowed to possess even a comfortable corner of 
it in peace. Our goal is in sight, Miss Nona; 
here is the stile. ,, 

They left the street and climbed the stile, to 
find themselves in the ancient graveyard whose 
headstones, gray with age, leaning this way and 
that, bore some strange inscriptions. Startling 
death’s heads or remarkable cherubs were the 
favorite devices upon the stones, and the quaint 
inscriptions set forth the virtues of the Concur- 
rences and Waitstills and Noahdiahs who two 
full centuries before had been laid to rest there. 
Pausing often to read the epitaphs, Julian and 
Nona climbed the slope and at last rested in the 
shade of the appletrees which bordered the low 
stone wall. The ripe sweetings were already 
falling to the ground, and the two began munch- 
ing the juicy fruit warm from lying in the sun. 
A breathless heat seemed poised above the earth ; 
the grasshoppers chirped in the dry grass, and 
once in a while came the echo of a voice sounding 
far off. 

“Was there ever such utter quiet?” said 
Julian. “ I think these dear departed must find 


140 


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this a pleasant spot to rest their bones, for no 
doubt theirs was a strenuous life. ,, 

“ It certainly does suggest a very ideal rest- 
ing place, ,, returned Nona. “Are you going to 
make a sketch?” 

“ I think I will take some photographs first ; 
the light for sketching will be better a little later 
in the afternoon. Sit just where you are. I like 
that position and the stone wall will make a good 
background.” The taking of the photographs 
occupied some time and then Julian started to 
work on his sketch. It was much cooler here on 
top of the hill, and Nona leaned back against the 
old wall, dreamily resting her eyes on the scene 
before her, while Julian worked away rapidly. 
“ This is quite in character,” he said. “ I really 
think your friends might be able tO' recognize it. 
I will give it to you if it turns out well.” 

“ I’d love to have it, and it is very good of 
you to offer it.” 

“ Do you happen to know Randolph Har- 
wood?” said Julian, holding off his sketch at 
arm's length. “ He has gone to your town 
within the past year or so.” 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


141 


“ Yes, I know him,” Nona replied curtly. 

“ He is a cousin of mine,” Julian went on, dip- 
ping his brush into his cup of water. “ He was 
at the law school when I first went to college and 
he was very good to me. I don’t know a more 
correct fellow than Ran. I used to tell him that 
he was too uncompromising, but I suppose one 
can’t be too rigid in the matter of principle. I 
used to say that he was too particular for a law- 
yer, and that always made him mad. ‘ As if 
there were no such thing as an honest lawyer,’ 
he would say.” 

“ I can imagine he would be uncompromising,” 
Nona said thoughtfully. 

“ Then you must know him rather well.” 

“ Rather well, yes. We sang together some- 
times.” 

“ That reminds me, suppose we stop at the 
church on our way home and you can sing while 
I play. I have always wanted to have you do 
that. Will you?” 

“ I think I would like that. How is your 
sketch coming on ? ” 

“ Fairly well. I don’t know but that it is about 


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as good as any I have done lately. There, I will 
not keep you any longer. You have been sitting 
quite long enough and certainly deserve a re- 
ward, so if this is worth anything to you please 
take it.” 

Nona was about to express her thanks when 
there was a sound of rumbling thunder and be- 
fore Julian could pack up his traps the big drops 
of rain were falling fast. “ It is fortunate we 
have an umbrella,” said Julian. “ We'll run for 
the church; it is only a shower, I think.” 

They hastened toward the stile and made for 
the little Episcopal church just beyond. Leav- 
ing Nona on the porch, Julian went for the keys. 
He soon returned, accompanied by a small boy, 
who agreed for a quarter to help out by blowing 
the bellows of the organ for them. 

For an hour Julian played and Nona sang in 
the dimly-lighted church. Overhead the thun- 
der rolled and the lightning flashed, but these 
were scarcely noticed by the man who, like them- 
selves, had sought refuge from the storm and 
who was sitting in the body of the church listen- 
ing. Where had he heard such a pure, sweet 


A PLACE OF PEACE 


143 


contralto? It soothed and comforted him, for 
he was not happy. At last a burst of sunshine 
lighted up the stained glass window, and threw 
a gleam upon the cross in the chancel. The 
man arose and went to the door, but he had not 
stepped forth into the street before Julian ap- 
peared, coming face to face in the bright sunlight 
with Randolph Harwood. 

“ Well, well,” cried Julian, “ if this isn’t a sur- 
prise. Where did you come from, Ran? I was 
talking to Miss Nona about you not an hour ago. 
Come out, Miss Nona; the rain is over. You 
know Miss Ritigely, Ran.” 

Nona came forward out of the dim church, and 
Mr. Harwood bowed, but did not offer his hand. 
“ I hardly expected to see you, Miss Ridgely, ” 
he said distantly. “ I knew you were in Con- 
necticut, but I didn’t know just where.” 

“ Where did you come from, Ran,” repeated 
Julian. 

“ I had a little • business up this way, and 
thought I would run over to see you all. I con- 
cluded not to wait for the stage and walked over.” 

“ This hot afternoon ? ” 


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“ I was fortunate to get a lift from a man com- 
ing along to a place just beyond the town, but 
I ran in here from the storm. How is cousin 
Adelaide ? ” 

“ Very well. She will be delighted to see you. 
Will you come with us? I am going back with 
Miss Nona. ,, 

“ I think I will go at once to your house.” 

“ Then I will join you later,” said Julian. 

“ Don’t mind about me,” Nona began to say. 

Julian looked at her with a smile. “ But I 
want to mind,” he returned. “ I’d rather go 
than not. You don’t forbid it?” His winning 
smile was in sharp contrast to Randolph’s re- 
serve, and Nona smiled back at him. So they 
left Randolph to pursue his way alone, and went 
on together. 


CHAPTER IX 

SUMMER FRIENDS 

Mr. Harwood remained in the village for the 
next two or three days, and although he did not 
avoid Nona, he treated her with an indifference 
he had hitherto never shown her. She knew the 
reason, but in spite of it she could not but feel 
indignant. 

“ I thought you and Mr. Harwood were quite 
good friends,” said Margaret. “ You have men- 
tioned him so often in your letters, but he cer- 
tainly is indifferent and hardly ever talks to you. 
Maybe he is jealous of Julian.” 

“ Nonsense,” said Nona. “ He talks to me 
quite as much as I talk to him, I am sure.” 

“ I don't care, I don't like the way he acts,” re- 
turned Margaret. And consequently she turned 
a cold shoulder on the young man who had been 
quite disposed to like her. Yet, whenever she 
did allow him a conversation with her she inva- 

145 


146 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


riably turned the subject upon Nona, whose 
praises she sang with such fidelity that it set Ran- 
dolph wondering. It pleased him to hear what 
she had to say, and yet he was most unhappy, for 
the very discovery of what he believed to be 
Nona’s fraud had shown him how deeply he was 
interested in her. Over and over again he had 
compared the two sheets of paper, and one day 
shortly after Nona’s departure from home he 
went to Stiles’s, the stationer, and inquired for 
a paper of a like kind. 

“ There seems to be a run on this paper lately,” 
said Mr. Stiles, rummaging on his shelves. “ I’ve 
only a little left. I don’t keep much of it in 
stock, for I got it for Miss Nona Ridgely in the 
first place, and she is about the only one who uses 
that particular kind. She likes it better than 
some of the newer kinds, she says. I sold some 
to Mr. Duvall, but I don’t believe anyone else 
ever got any, for I don’t show it unless I am 
asked about it. I’ve so much other paper that I 
must sell out because it is a novelty, and fashions 
change in paper just as they do in dry goods.” 

It seemed to Randolph as if fate had thrust 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


147 


proofs in his way. He had not asked for a his- 
tory of the paper and yet it was volunteered him 
by the talkative shopkeeper. He bought a small 
quantity and went' out more than ever convinced 
that Nona was guilty. He missed her; he longed 
to see her, and yet he was miserable whenever he 
thought of her, and it was partly to get away 
from the constant reminder of her that he took 
his holiday, and having a little matter of business 
to attend to in New Haven, his old College town, 
he started away only at last to be thrown into 
Nona's company. He knew by the sudden color 
which sometimes flamed into her face when he 
looked at her that she was conscious of his cen- 
suring thoughts and he felt that she tried to avoid 
him. It hurt him to see that she could seem at 
any time gay and happy and on such good terms 
with his cousin Julian, and yet he would not have 
it otherwise. On account of all this he was very 
miserable, more so than Nona, who at least had 
the satisfaction of knowing that she merited no 
blame, whatever appearances might indicate. 

It was only when he parted from her that his 
feelings overcame his judgment. He met her 


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one evening as she was coming from the post- 
office, where she had gone to mail a letter. Over- 
head the broad-spreading elms rustled softly, and 
the twinkling lights up and down the street 
seemed few and far between because of the dense 
leafage. Randolph stood still and waited Nona's 
approach as he saw her coming up the street. 
“ It is you,” he said, stepping up to her. “ I 
want to say good-bye. I am going to-morrow. 
Will you walk a little with me? ” 

She looked up surprised. He had not volun- 
teered his company before since his arrival in the 
town. “ I will go a little way,” she answered. 

He placed her hand upon his arm, his own rest- 
ing upon it for a moment. “ I wanted to say 
good-bye,” he repeated. “ Have you any mes- 
sage to send your grandmother?” 

“ My love, that is all I will burden your re- 
membrance with.” 

“And I shall tell her that you are well and 
happy? You are happy?” 

“ Yes, I think so. I am with those who love 
and trust me,” she replied gravely. 

He looked down at her. “And I do not trust 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


149 


you, you mean. How can I? How can I? 
Would to heaven I could. Oh, you poor little 
child, I wonder if you realize what it all in- 
volves.” 

“ Yes, I think I know all it involves,” she said 
firmly. “ I do not ask you to trust me.” 

“ I know there was some excuse. I know why 
you made the sacrifice, but I think it was a mis- 
take. One cannot do evil that another may 
receive good, believing that it is no harm, for the 
evil will leave its stain.” 

Nona winced. “ I know that. I know all you 
can tell me. It has been said that you are uncom- 
promising, and yet I do not blame you for being 
so. There is no excuse for wrong-doing, and 
I do not ask for your faith, nor do I offer any 
excuse or explanation.” 

“ We might at least have been friends.” 

“ Yes, we might have been. I have felt that, 
too.” 

“ When I heard you singing in the church, I 
cannot tell you how it affected me. I said that 
is the voice of one who is true and noble and 
good. I could not believe — ” 


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“ No, you could not believe,” returned Nona 
withdrawing her hand from his arm. 

“ If there were only some way out of it; if only 
I might have your word that it was not you but 
some one else, anything but that I must know 
that it was you who did so wrong a thing. If 
there were only some explanation beyond that 
which seems to be the true one. You do not 
deny that you did it for your sister?” 

Nona gave a quick gasp. “ I do not deny any- 
thing.” 

“ Your secret is safe with me. No one, not 
even Bennett, shall ever know, and here I de- 
stroy the only proof, for Bennett has made a copy 
for Emily; he would have it so.” With a quick 
gesture he drew the fatal letter from his pocket. 
It seems that he must keep it there constantly, 
was Nona’s thought. He struck a match and 
touched it to the paper and when it was nearly 
consumed he dropped the last fragment into the 
little brook which flowed beneath the bridge 
on which they were standing. “ No one shall 
ever know,” he repeated ; “ that is the end of it 
so far as anyone else is concerned, but for us 
there can be no end,” he said sadly. 


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151 


“ There can be no end,” the words haunted 
Nona, yet she felt a great relief when she knew 
that the letter was destroyed. It was like Bennett 
to desire Emily to possess only that which was 
written by himself, and half the shame of the 
affair seemed to disappear when she knew that 
there was now no forgery in existence. “ Thank 
you for doing that,” she said. “ I am glad, very 
glad that dreadful thing no' longer exists, and 
that Emily has only a true writing from Ben- 
nett’s own hand, yet as you say, there is no end 
for me, — for us. I can make no explanations ; 
you will always have to believe just what you do 
now. There is no other thing to say.” 

Both were silent for a little while. They 
watched the brook leaping over the stones be- 
low them. Nona’s slender hand rested on the 
railing of the bridge. Presently Randolph laid 
his on it. “ I am your friend,” he said. “ I 
am at least that. I was too uncompromising. 
You were so young, such a child, how could you 
have realized? You may have thought, no doubt 
you did think, that you were doing nobly for 
Sylvia’s sake. I cannot feel as I did toward you ; 


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something does not let me. I could almost trust 
you if it were not for the proofs. Will you let 
me be your friend in spite of it all ? I cannot give 
you up.” 

Nona did not answer for a moment. She had 
rebelled against the denunciation of herself, yet 
she knew that he was not to blame. She would 
accept the friendship, little comfort as it might 
bring, for she, too, realized that she could not 
give him up. “ If you think you can be my 
friend ; if you can be that without trusting me, I 
accept the olive branch,” she told him. “ Con- 
sidering everything, I should thank you for offer- 
ing it. I do thank you.” 

He held her hand in both of his for a moment, 
and then he dropped it, and they turned and 
walked slowly away. As they neared the house 
they met Julian. “ I was looking for you,” he 
told Nona. “ Everyone has been wondering 
what had become of you.” 

“ I met Miss Ridgely and persuaded her to take 
a little walk; it is such a beautiful night,” said 
Mr. Harwood. 

“ Oh, that was it, was it?” Julian seemed a 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


153 


little surprised and not over-pleased. “ You will 
sing for me, won’t you ? ” he said to Nona. “ I 
have been haunted all evening by that last song 
you sang at church this afternoon, and I want to 
hear it again. Will you sing it for me?” 

“ Certainly,” Nona replied. 

Mr. Harwood turned abruptly away. “ Good- 
night and good-bye,” he said. “ I have already 
made my adieu to the others, SO' I will go home 
to cousin Adelaide, Julian.” And Julian, noth- 
ing loath, carried Nona off, while Randolph with 
a great pain tugging at his heart saw her go. 
“ Do I consider myself so much better than that 
boy that I stand aloof from her and let him win 
her sweetness and loveliness? Every word she 
speaks; every glance of her eye; every line of 
her face speaks honesty and yet I must lose 
her because of my inflexible judgment of her. 
I am forced to accuse her against my own will 
and yet, Heaven knows, I love her,” he said to 
himself as he watched her light dress flutter in at 
her cousin’s door. In spite of his intention, he 
retraced his steps and paced up and down the 
street before the house, and presently Nona’s 


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voice rang out clear and full of pathos. It seemed 
to have gained a new quality since he first heard 
it; there was such soul and feeling in it and it 
thrilled him completely. But the pain of it all 
was deeper still when the song ceased and he saw 
the girl, accompanied by Julian, disappear into 
the garden. He realized that here was another 
only too glad to cherish what he had scorned, 
and the knowledge of it did not help his case. 

“ Well,” said Margaret to Nona, when the 
two went up stairs, “ I for one am glad that Mr. 
Harwood has gone. He was no addition to our 
crowd except that he sang well. What induced 
you to walk with him, Nona?” 

“ He asked me and — we are friends, you 
know.” 

“ I thought you were not very good friends, 
you never acted as if you were.” 

“ Yes, we are now ; we weren’t, maybe.” 

“ Oh, you’d had a quarrel, was that it ? All 
the same I am glad he is gone, though perhaps 
his having troubles of his own made him so 
glum.” 

Nona did not respond, although she, too, was 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


155 


glad that Mr. Harwood had gone. She realized 
that Fate had treated her unkindly in arranging 
it so that this one man, of all others, must sus- 
pect her of an act from which her whole soul re- 
coiled, yet she was thankful that the secret was 
in his hands and not in those of some other who 
would make it common talk. There was this bar- 
rier between them which would make it forever 
impossible for her to feel at ease when with him, 
though she realized but for that she might have 
been the one woman in the world for him and 
that he might have been her prince ; but love in its 
dawn was clouded over. Yes, it was a relief to 
have him go, for now she could give herself up 
to the pleasure of her visit. Julian was now her 
shadow, and indeed the pairing off of the three 
couples was taken as a matter of course. Marga- 
ret and Jim, brimming over with fun, were for- 
ever chaffing each other and starting up some 
absurdity which was entertainment for the others. 
Maurice and Ada were more serious but not less 
fond of one another’s society, while Julian and 
Nona had their seasons of music and took long 
rambles, each armed with a camera. 


156 


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“ I’ll give you some lessons in sketching,” 
Julian had said one day, and Nona, who already 
drew quite well, was eager for the instruction, 
so the two discoursed wisely about distance and 
atmosphere and values to the despair of the rest. 
Julian was given to having desperate affairs with 
the girls he met, and, having passed safely 
through several violent love affairs, was not con- 
sidered to be dangerously attacked. 

“ He’s lots of fun,” Margaret told Nona, “ but 
don’t fall in love with him, for it is * out of sight, 
out of mind ’ with him. Two or three of us have 
had our day and Julian is still very young, so you 
can imagine what must be expected before he 
settles down.” 

Nona laughed. “ I am not in danger, Margie, 
but he is lots of fun, as you say, and I am having 
a good time.” 

“All right, my child,” returned Margaret. “ I 
just thought I would warn you.” 

“ Thank you for your consideration. I think 
I shall live through the summer without making 
you a scene,” though indeed if her heart had not 
already been touched it is quite likely that she 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


157 


would have been fascinated by Julian, who was 
good at many things, love-making included. 

The day after Mr. Harwood’s departure, the 
two . started off to sketch, and found a romantic 
spot down by the border of the brook. Julian 
was more devoted in his manner than ever, for 
he had been piqued by Nona’s walking off with 
his cousin the evening before, and they were no 
sooner established than he began to make love 
in his most ardent manner. 

Nona only laughed at him. “ What did we 
come here for, to sketch or to be sentimental ? ” 
she asked. 

“ I don’t know what you came for,” replied 
Julian, “ but I came for the sake of being alone 
with you.” 

“ What shall I use for that distance,” said 
Nona, ignoring the remark, “ rose madder and 
cobalt? Or shall I put some yellow in it?” 

Julian looked at her water-color block. “ Put 
in a little yellow,” he said, “ and at the same time 
put some warmth into your manner.” 

“ I don’t wish to put any warmth into my man- 
ner this summer day. I don’t need it.” 


158 


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“ I do ; I am freezing with your coldness.” 

“ ‘Ain’t it a shame/ ” Nona began humming 
the coon-song. 

“ I say,” said Julian; “ that is too much.” 

“What? Too much yellow? Shall I use the 
blue or the madder ? ” 

“ I shall be mad, madder, maddest if you don’t 
listen to me.” 

“If you make such atrocious puns I shall pack 
up and go home. There are limits to my endur- 
ance, much as I enjoy this sylvan spot. Please 
don’t do that again.” 

“ I won’t if you will only promise to listen to 
me.” 

“ I will listen when you say anything worth 
hearing.” 

“ Is it not worth your hearing when I tell you 
that I lay my heart at your feet ? ” 

Nona calmly held off her sketch to mark the 
effect of distance. “ You silly thing,” she said, 
“ do you suppose I don’t know that what you say 
has no more meaning than the empty rattle of a 
window in a high wind, or — no not so much as 
the tinkle of this brook over the pebbles, for that 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


159 


is poetry and your remarks are too vacuous to 
be anything so pleasing.” 

“ You are dreadfully hard on me. I never 
had a girl talk so to me,” said Julian, looking at 
her with languishingly reproachful eyes. 

“ Except Margie,” returned Nona. “ I’ll ven- 
ture to say she did, when you said the same things 
to her.” 

“ Oh, she has been telling you that.” 

“ What?” 

“ That I said the same things to her.” 

“ You hadn’t said the same things when I saw 
her last, but I know you must have said them a 
great many times or you wouldn’t do it so glibly.” 

“ You are a finished coquette, Miss Ridgely,” 
said Julian with dignity. 

Nona laughed merrily. “ I’d like my sister to 
hear that. She couldn’t believe her ears. I wish 
you would tell her if you ever see her.” 

Julia looked discomfited. All his pretty 
speeches and his usual methods fell flat on this 
occasion, and it was not his ordinary experience. 
“ You have a heart of ice,” he sighed. 

“ If I have I ought to be much cooler than I 


160 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


am at this present moment,” she responded se- 
renely. “ I wish you would hurry up and begin 
your sketch. I can do so much better when I 
watch you for a while, although I suppose my 
own very original treatment is maybe better for 
me. I don’t know, though ; I learn a lot by look- 
ing on.” 

“If you would only let me teach you other 
things,” said Julian in melting tones. 

“ What, for example ?” 

“ The language of love.” 

“Julian North, I wish you wouldn’t be so 
awfully soft. We had such real good times be- 
fore you took up this pose. I don’t wish to 
listen to such idiotic things, but what I do wish 
to know is how to do those tree trunks.” 

“ If I teach you, will you give me the pay- 
ment I ask ? ” 

“ I’ll give you my sketch,” laughed Nona. “ 1 
can’t think of anything more valuable that I could 
offer.” 

“ Ah, but you could give me something by the 
giving of which you would be no loser and I an 
infinite gainer. Bestow of your largess, oh my 
heart’s queen.” 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


161 


“ Bestow some of your advice in the matter of 
pigments, oh my silly friend.” 

“ I ask but one thing ; it is so simple, so little, 
so worthless to you.” 

“ What is this thing of so little value? It 
can’t be my heart, for I value that organ highly.” 

“ It is but one kiss.” 

“ Thank you, I reserve my lips for the man 
I love, and whom I shall promise .to marry.” 

“ And it is not I whom you love ? Oh for- 
tunate man on whom you have bestowed your 
heart ! ” 

“ It isn’t you nor anybody, but when he comes 
I shall have a whole heart to give him and not 
one so fractured and chipped and put together 
with the cement of time that it will not be 
worth anything, and that is the way yours is. 
Do be sensible, Julian, and let us drop all this 
moony, spoony, luny talk. Please do be sen- 
sible.” 

“ Miss Nona, really and honestly, you don’t 
know how I adore you.” 

“ No, I don’t.” 

“ You don’t believe me.” 


162 


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“ I believe you have a sort of mild summer 
madness which you dignify by the name of love, 
and which seems to attack you so often that you 
ought to know it will be cured as soon as I go 
away and some other girl comes along.” 

“ It’s very real while it lasts,” sighed Julian 
lugubriously. 

Nona laughed. “ That’s pretty good. You 
admit that it doesn’t last with you; but suppose 
I were to take you seriously, it might last with 
me and do me infinite harm. Please, Julian, be 
a good boy and let us be jolly good comrades as 
we were at first. You know perfectly well that 
you would be sorry to bring any grief to me or 
to any girl. I think when I love I will not 
get over it at once.” 

“ But this might be the real thing with me ; 
one never knows,” persisted Julian. 

“ Then don’t you think it would be wiser to 
wait and find out?” 

“ But I don’t want it to be the real thing un- 
less I know I am the man for you.” 

“ Oh, you are dreadful. You could’ nt help it if 
it should happen to be, so don’t talk about it any 
more.” 


SUMMER FRIENDS 


163 


“ But you do bid me hope ? ” 

“ I bid you do nothing but behave yourself 
like a reasonable creature and stop this non- 
sense. I will tell you one thing : if you folk this 
way once again, I shall leave you that minute, 
I don’t care where we are, so there. Now, will 
you behave yourself?” 

“ I will, if you must have it so.” 

“ Then please begin your sketch.” 

And Julian meekly obeyed, knowing Nona to 
be a person who meant what she said. 


CHAPTER X 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 

During the rest of Nona's visit Julian had fre- 
quent lapses from his sensible state, as Nona 
called it, but she resolutely kept her word 
by leaving him the moment he began his senti- 
mental speeches so that he finally accepted the 
position of comrade and Nona told him that 
then she liked him very much, and that she 
was truly sorry when the time came for her to 
go. “ It has been lovely," she said to Margaret ; 
“ I don’t believe I ever had a better time in my 
life.” 

“ Please stay then,” begged her cousin. 

“ I wish I could, but grandma has counted on 
my spending the rest of the summer with her, 
and I cannot disappoint her.” 

“ We three who are left behind will be deso- 
late,” sighed Margaret, “ though I am glad you 

will have the company of Maurice and Jim as far 
164 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


165 


as New York. I don’t know what we shall do 
with Julian; I hope he will not do anything des- 
perate.’” 

“ No fear of that,” laughed Nona. “ Didn’t 
you say his sister was expecting Lucilla Wat- 
son? I don’t doubt but that Julian will find his 
consolation in her.” 

“ You’re a funny girl, Nona ; most girls would 
have taken him seriously, and would either have 
fallen in love with him or have flirted as des- 
perately as he did.” 

“ But you see I was forewarned.” 

“ That doesn’t always have an effect. Girls 
are so willing to believe what a man says to 
them. Each one seems to like to deceive herself 
into believing she is the one when a man makes 
love to her whether he means it or not. What 
did you say when he asked you to kiss him? 
I know he did.” 

“ I told him I reserved my lips for the man 
I should marry. What did you say ? ” 

“ I got mad, but yours was the better answer. 
I believe ever so many girls will allow a man to 
kiss them because they don’t know how to refuse 


166 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


and don’t like to be called cold and distant. It 
is very silly, I know, but it is so, for girls have 
told me. I believe many times the men just act 
so to see what a girl will say, and don’t really 
mean to anger her.” 

“ I think a girl has a right to feel indignant 
and to show that she is. I was indignant with 
Julian and he knew it, and apologized very 
meekly. As if it were not much better to be con- 
sidered cold than to lose a man’s respect. I know 
the girls at school used to tell all sorts of tales, 
but I thought them hard to believe. I know 
there were some among them who flouted the 
girls who wanted to keep their self-respect, and 
would ridicule anything like real dignity. I re- 
member how it shocked me when I heard one of 
them laugh at another’s high standards.” 

“ I know whom you mean,” returned Marga- 
ret, “ and I consider a girl like that does no end 
of harm. It is impossible to tell how far her in- 
fluence for evil may extend. Isn’t it too bad that 
she can exert such an influence ? But I know she 
does. The poor, silly younger girls follow her 
lead and get into no end of trouble by doing so. 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


167 


I might have done the same only mamma saw 
through her at once. You know I was fascinated 
by Lottie and had her home for a visit one 
Christmas. Well, Maurice ‘ sized her up/ as he 
says, and mamma, too, and though we did all we 
could to make her have a good time, she was 
never invited again, and mamma was so sweet 
and just in her talk to me about her, but she 
opened my eyes in time, for just then, Nona, I 
was disposed to be rather a frivolous creature, 
and everything attracted me that seemed gay and 
sensational, or that meant any sort of fun. But 
you, dear thing, never did care for her, and yet 
you never said a word. I didn’t realize then how 
good you were to stick by me and help me out 
of harm’s way as you did lots of times.” 

It was pleasant for Nona to feel that Margaret 
recognized all this, for it had been rather a pull 
to get her from Lottie Draper’s influence, and 
Nona had made many a sacrifice of time and in- 
clination for Margaret’s sake. “ I wish you 
could go back with me,” she said wistfully to her 
cousin. 

“ And I wish you could stay here, but you’ll 


168 


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come again next year, though I cannot promise 
you Julian a second season; he has never yet been 
that constant.” 

Nona laughed. “I shall not ask it of you, 
though I really do think that Julian enjoys our 
comradeship, and I have promised to write to 
him, for when he isn’t silly we are really very 
congenial and we get along finely.” 

Nona had been putting the last things into her 
trunk and now Jabez Camp came clumping up 
the steps for it and the stage was at the door. 
It was occupied this morning entirely by Nona 
and her friends, not being very large, and when 
the adieux to Mr. and Mrs. Foster had been 
made, they started off at a lively gait. 

The travellers left Margaret, Ada and Julian 
waving good-byes from the platform of the sta- 
tion, and Nona felt that the most peaceful and 
agreeable part of the summer was gone. Yet 
she felt a satisfaction in having such pleasant 
travelling companions as her cousin Maurice and 
his friend Jim, and she did not find the journey 
to New York at all wearisome, for what girl 
does not like to have two agreeable young men 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


169 


as travelling companions? She did not stop in 
New York, but hurried on that she might reach 
her grandmother’s before dark. As she ap- 
proached her native town, she felt a little sink- 
ing of heart. Home was home no longer ; Sylvia 
was now Sylvia Waters, and here awaited her 
appeals from her sister, caustic speeches from her 
grandmother, and distrust from the man who, 
while her avowed friend, could not believe in her. 

Sylvia was at the station to meet her and in- 
sisted upon bearing her away to the boarding 
house where she was staying. “ But grandma 
expects me,” said Nona. “ There is Thad now.” 

“ Oh well, never mind. I have such loads to 
tell you, and I have been counting on having you 
this evening. Send Thad back with your trunk 
and stay in town till morning. I know Mrs. 
Cowman can put you up.” 

Nona hesitated. She did wish very much to 
stay, but she had written that she would be at 
her grandmother’s that evening, and she knew the 
preparations that would be made for her, and 
that it would mean a great disappointment to 
Mrs. Wilson if she failed to appear. 


170 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ I do wish ever so much to stay,” she said. 
“ Oh, you dear, you are lovelier than ever, and I 
am dying to hear all about your wedding trip, 
but I must go to grandma; she is expecting me 
and I promised.” 

“ And so have I been expecting you. I have 
just counted on having you this first evening.” 

“ But I did not promise you, and I did promise 
grandma.” 

“ Oh well, if it pleases you better to be with 
her, of course I have not a word to say. I sup- 
pose now that I am married I shall be of no 
earthly account to you.” 

“ Oh Sylvia, how can you ? I will come in the 
first thing in the morning; just as soon as I can 
get away.” 

“ You needn’t hurry yourself,” returned Sylvia 
coldly. And Nona, feeling dispirited and sad, 
climbed into the old carriage which her grand- 
mother had sent for her. 

To be sure Mrs. Wilson’s welcome was all that 
it should be, for she recognized and appreciated 
Nona’s promptness. “ I was afraid they might 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


171 


persuade you to stay longer,” she said, “ but I 
am glad you didn’t wish to disappoint your old 
granny. Did you see Sylvia ? ” 

“ Yes, she was at the station to meet me.” 

“ And I’ll venture to say she would have kept 
you.” 

“ Well, yes, but you see I didn’t stay,” re- 
turned Nona smiling, “though I promised to go 
in early to-morrow to hear all about the wed- 
ding trip.” 

“ Thad can take you in as well as not. That 
old horse ought to have more exercise and you 
can use him all you wish to. I think maybe you 
and I can take some jaunts together.” 

“ That will be fine,” replied Nona heartily. 

All of Nona’s belongings had been taken to 
her grandmother’s, and such other furniture as 
was not Mrs. Ridgely’s own was stored away 
for Sylvia’s use when she should go to house- 
keeping. Therefore when Nona went up to her 
room it seemed very familiar to her, for there 
stood her desk, her favorite chair, and a little 
work-table she had always used. Upon the walls 


172 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


hung her book-shelves and the pictures which had 
adorned her room at home. Her grandmother 
watched her face anxiously, and the girl turned 
around and smiled at her. “ How natural it all 
looks.” 

“ Are they in their right places ? ” asked Mrs. 
Wilson. “ I didn’t know. But you can change 
them, Nona, if you wish.” 

“ I think they are just right, and you are very 
good to have them all ready for me.” 

“ I wish you to be so happy here, Nona, that 
you will never care to leave,” said the old lady 
wistfully. 

Nona put an arm around her. “ It will not be 
for lack of comfort, grandma, and I promise to 
see much more of you than I ever have done, ex- 
cept when Sylvia needs me.” 

“ Sylvia — ” began her grandmother, but she 
checked herself. She did not intend to drive 
Nona away by abusing her sister. “ I have had 
several visits from your friend, Mr. Harwood,” 
she said to change the subject. “ He has been 
coming out nearly every Sunday to take tea with 


me. 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


173 


“ He knows where he will get a good supper,” 
said Nona laughing. 

“ He told me he had been up there in Con- 
necticut, in that queer old town. Did he go es- 
pecially to see you, Nona?” 

“ Oh no, he has cousins there. He didn’t 
know I was in the town till he came upon me 
unawares. He stayed only a few days.” 

“ I like him,” said Mrs. Wilson meditatively. 

“ He seems a little stern to some persons,” said 
Nona quietly. “ Margaret Foster does not fancy 
him.” 

“ I suppose he may have had a reason for 
seeming stern to her; perhaps he did not fancy 
her.” 

“ Oh, but he did. He took quite a fancy to 
her, as who wouldn’t. Everybody likes Margie. 
I had a fine time, grandma. I must tell you all 
about it.” 

Mrs. Wilson looked pleased. “ Come now, 
down to supper; it must be ready, and you shall 
tell me all about your doings.” She was so happy 
at having Nona with her that she spared no 
pains to make it pleasant, having Nona’s favorite 


174 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


batter bread on the table and all the other things 
she could think of to tempt the girl’s appetite, and 
altogether she was so bright and entertaining that 
Nona wondered how she could ever have dreaded 
to be with her grandmother. 

But the next morning by nine o’clock she was 
ready to start for town, and although Sylvia was 
at first disposed to be a little offish she was too 
eager to pour forth her account of her travels to 
retain that attitude for very long, and so the two 
had a good talk, though Nona’s own experiences 
had little place in the conversation. It was not 
likely that her marriage would improve Sylvia, 
for her husband was neither strong nor wise, 
and speedily discovering that he could get his 
way, and at any time soothe Sylvia’s ruffled feel- 
ings by flattery, he consequently gave her flat- 
tery morning, noon and night. 

Nona had been living in a different atmosphere, 
and as she left her sister she felt appalled to 
think how little she had really enjoyed being 
with her. Yet she was deeply interested in all 
Sylvia’s affairs and told herself that her sister 
must naturally be absorbed in her husband and 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


175 


her future home, and that it was herself who 
was selfish in expecting more sympathy in her 
own interests. “ She will be different after a 
while; it is all so new to her,” she said to her- 
self as she went out to the carriage in which 
Mrs. Wilson sat waiting for her. Nona had 
asked Sylvia to go down to speak to her grand- 
mother, but she had refused. “ She’ll only say 
something disagreeable,” she had declared. “ I 
don’t see how you can stand her, Nona. I wish 
you would come in here and board with us at 
this house.” 

“ But I couldn’t afford that, Sylvia. Mamma 
says that what I have will give me enough for 
my expenses outside of board, but if I came here, 
I shouldn’t have anything left ; and that would be 
rather inconvenient, besides when grandma really 
wants me, I don’t see why I shouldn’t stay.” 

“ Oh well, I suppose you do have to for the 
present, but it will not be very long before I have 
you to myself. I don’t see why you are in such 
a hurry. Why can’t you wait till Graham comes 
home? I want to tell you more about the house.” 

“ I will hear it another time. I must not keep 


176 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


grandma waiting. We'll have lovely times talk- 
ing about the house. I am crazy to help you get 
into it." 

“ Well,” was Mrs. Wilson’s greeting, “ I sup- 
pose you have heard just how often the queen 
sneezed, and how many compliments were paid 
her, and how becoming this was, and what some- 
body said about that." 

“ Now, grandma," expostulated Nona, taking 
the reins, “ I wish you wouldn’t." 

“ I know you do, and I suppose I am an old 
wretch to say such things, but I don’t seem to 
be able to help it. I’ll try to be agreeable. Is 
Sylvia looking well ? " 

“ She looks perfectly lovely. I don’t wonder 
Graham is proud of her.’’ 

“ Why didn’t she come down ? ” 

“ She was just going to dress for dinner. She 
and Graham have about decided upon the house 
they will take." 

“ I wonder what sort of housekeeper Sylvia 
will make," began Mrs. Wilson, but she broke off 
short. “ Nona, there is Mr. Harwood; I want 
to speak to him. Drive over there." 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


177 


Nona reluctantly directed the horse toward 
the spot where Mr. Harwood stood, and he came 
forward to speak to them. “ Will you get out, 
Mrs. Wilson? Ah, Miss Ridgely, you are back 
again ? ” 

“ Yes, I came yesterday.” 

“ I hope you left my cousins well.” 

“ Quite well.” And that was all that passed 
between the two. Mrs. Wilson had some ques- 
tions to ask about certain business matters, and 
the talk was chiefly of that, but as they were 
driving away Mrs. Wilson said: “ You’ll come 
out as usual on Sunday, Mr. Harwood?” 

He glanced quickly at Nona. “ If I may,” he 
said hesitatingly. 

“ Of course you may. Why not ? ” But 
Nona said not a word as she gathered up the 
lines and drove off. 

“ I don’t think you were very cordial to Mr. 
Harwood,” said her grandmother. 

“ But you were,” returned Nona smiling, “ and 
that was enough.” 

She did not make her appearance for some time 
after Mr. Harwood’s arrival on Sunday. In 


178 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


spite of the fact that she had told him that she 
was willing that they should be friends, she con- 
stantly resented the position that must cause her 
to feel conscious and constrained when in his 
presence. There was no help for it, but why 
should she, who was perfectly innocent, be 
obliged to suffer from the suspicion of any 
man? Better become strangers, and let 
him go his way while she would cling 
closer to those who loved her and who had no 
censorious judgment to pass upon her. Yet she 
turned more than once to see that she was be- 
comingly dressed before she went down-stairs. 
She gave the visitor a cool greeting, and sat silent 
and preoccupied, leaving him to talk to her 
grandmother. She affected not to look at him, 
but was more than once conscious that his eyes 
were upon her. Once or twice he made an effort 
to draw her into the conversation, but she avoided 
this. At last her grandmother left them for a 
few moments and he came over to where she was 
sitting. 

“ I thought we were to be friends,” he said. 

“Well, are we not?” she answered coolly. 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


179 


He sat down near her. “ I did not think you 
appeared rejoiced to see your friend. ,, 

Nona made an impatient gesture. “ There is 
no use pretending, Mr. Harwood. I don’t see 
how we can be friends under the circumstances. 
We are uncomfortable in each other’s presence. 
I am conscious that you sit in judgment upon 
me, and you feel that you are magnanimous in 
offering a friendship which it is hard for you to 
feel.” 

“ Oh, not that.” He spoke sharply. “ I do 
not feel that I am magnanimous; you mistake 
me, Miss Nona. If you were to say that I am 
unhappy in your presence, you would be nearer 
the truth.” 

“ Then why need we meet ? ” 

“ We need not, if it would please you better.” 

“ Oh, it isn’t that ; it is the falseness of the 
thing that I mind, the pretence,” she said earn- 
estly. 

He looked at her with a troubled countenance. 
“ You suffer because of my condemnation of your 
act and yet you cannot bear pretence. Are you 
then by nature as honest as you seem, and was 


180 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


that the one false note in your otherwise lovely 
nature? I am beginning to think so, Nona.” 

She turned away her head. “ Whatever you 
think, I am powerless to prevent, but that I am 
not comfortable where you are is a fact, and I 
think I would rather not force a friendship upon 
you when I believe it is of little value to you, 
and — I am so tired of it all.” She spoke wear- 
ily. 

Her companion put his hand over his eyes and 
sat plunged in deep thought. “ I am afraid I 
seem a very rigid and harsh judge to you. I do 
not wonder that you are weary of all this. I am 
to blame for bringing it continually before you. 
I, who am so far from perfect, have no right to 
say one word to you that could give a moment’s 
unhappiness to you. What right have I to con- 
demn you? Will you forgive me for having in- 
stituted myself your judge, and so hard a one 
toward so sweet a sinner ? Iam beginning to see 
things differently. Please believe that in the fu- 
ture, if you still think you can sometimes see me 
as a friend, there will be in my heart nothing but 
gentle feeling toward you. I will not again re- 


BETWEEN TWO FIRES 


181 


fer to this subject. It shall be as if it had never 
happened. I determined that it should be so 
when I last saw you. I knew then that I could 
not lose you out of my life. ,, 

“ I do not believe,” said Nona unsteadily, 
“ that you willingly condemn me, but I know you 
cannot help it. I have wanted to ask you what 
is that proof of which you spoke? ” 

He told her of the paper that he had found at 
Stiles’s and of what the stationer had said. “And 
yet,” he said, “ I ought to know that it is mere 
circumstantial evidence ; if you once gave me your 
word — ” 

“ But I do not give it,” said Nona interrupting 
him sharply. “ I leave it all, circumstantial evi- 
dence, proofs, what you will, for you to believe 
as you choose.” 

“ Then let us never again speak of it. Let all 
be as it was before this occurred. Will you ? ” 

“ I will try.” 

“ Thank you. Is your piano here? Will you 
sing for me ? ” 

“ Sylvia has our piano. The one here was 
my mother’s; it is rather old and worn but it 


182 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


still has a better tone than many that one hears. 
Yes, I will sing for you.” 

“ And with me?” 

“ Yes.” She spoke hesitatingly. 

“ Please.” He asked imploringly and Nona 
saw that he honestly meant to put behind them 
all that unfortunate affair of the letter. 


CHAPTER XI 

in sylvia's home 

By the first of October Sylvia was settled in 
her own home. For some time before this Nona 
had been between two fires, for, though her 
grandmother was willing to allow her a reason- 
able amount of time to give to her sister, Sylvia 
demanded an unreasonable amount, and it must 
be confessed that Nona found it more interesting 
and exciting to help Sylvia get her pretty lit- 
tle home in order than she did to stay at the quiet 
farm where the homely details of country life 
chiefly absorbed her grandmother. To be sure 
she and Sylvia had their squabbles, for Sylvia 
was so impractical as to bring forth chidings from 
Nona which were taken in ill part. It went 
against Nona's sense of fitness to see her sister 
spend so much on lace curtains that she had noth- 
ing left for kitchen utensils, and to witness an 
extravagant outlay in table linen when there were 

183 


184 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


matresses still to be bought, and it is doubtful 
if things would have gone as well as they did but 
for Nona’s prudent curbing of her sister’s ex- 
travagant tendencies. 

At last when the house was habitable and Syl- 
via had fairly established herself, came the tug 
of war for Nona. Mrs. Wilson declared abso- 
lutely that Nona should not leave her, and when 
Nona reminded her that it had been the arrange- 
ment all along that she should live with Sylvia, 
and that she had never promised her grand- 
mother to remain permanently with her, 
Mrs. Wilson stormed and scolded and at 
last drove furiously into town and descended 
upon Sylvia in the midst of her satisfied survey 
of her surroundings. Then there was a scene 
and Sylvia was left in tears, while Mrs. Wilson, 
half ashamed of her sharp and really unwarranted 
attack, drove home to discover that the bone of 
contention was not to be found, for Nona had 
taken the matter into her own hands and had fol- 
lowed her grandmother to town, waiting at 
Emily Griscom’s till she should have finished her 
interview, and then going to Sylvia’s as soon as 
she saw her grandmother drive by. 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


185 


Sylvia, all tears, reproaches, and hurt feelings, 
was not easily mollified, but when Nona assured 
her that she had come to stay, she was ready tc 
triumph over her grandmother’s discomfiture 
and had Nona established without delay in the 
pretty little room she had specially prepared for 
her. 

But when evening came and Sylvia gave her- 
self up to Graham’s society, Nona thought with 
some misgivings of her grandmother alone there 
in the old farm-house with no one but servants, 
and she wondered if she were doing right to for- 
sake her. However with the morning these com- 
punctions fled, for there was so much to talk 
about and to do that the girl did not have time 
for regrets, and as Sylvia assured her that her 
grandmother liked to be alone and was quite used 
to it by this time, Nona did not reproach herself 
long. 

Emily Griscom’s wedding was soon to take 
place and Sylvia insisted that she must have a 
new gown for that event and for Mrs. Ridgely’s 
wedding which would occur immediately after. 
To be sure the latter was to be the quietest sort 


186 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


of affair, but Sylvia was bound to outshine every- 
body and enjoyed being conspicuous even though 
it brought her to the point of being criticised for 
her questionable taste. In vain Nona tried to 
persuade her that over-dressing was inelegant, 
that it was fairly vulgar. She carried her griev- 
ance to Graham who told her Nona was only 
jealous, and that settled the matter for Sylvia. 
Therefore Nona, very ill at ease, was obliged to 
see her sister go forth adorned more showily 
than anybody else and the target for many ill- 
humored remarks. “ Oh dear,” sighed the girl 
when Sylvia’s gown came home and she dis- 
played herself in it to Graham’s admiring eyes, 
“ if she could only see how unsuitable it is and 
how much more ladylike and dignified she would 
look in something quieter.” But now that Gra- 
ham was ready to encourage his wife in her dis- 
play, there was no improvement to be expected 
and Nona retired from the contest feeling her- 
self worsted and yet pained to know that, by 
those she most wished to impress, Sylvia would 
be called vulgarly over-dressed. More than once 
she tried to tell Sylvia of some remark which 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


187 


had been dropped regarding her, but Sylvia would 
only laugh and say it was all due to jealousy and 
Nona immediately felt herself disarmed. That 
she really and truly wished to shield her sister 
never entered Sylvia's head, who argued that 
there could not be enough of a good thing, and if 
a thing were pretty, more of it would increase 
its beauty. 

To offset this effect Nona herself went to the 
wedding very simply attired and certainly was 
the gainer by the contrast, so thought more than 
one besides Randolph Harwood who saw her 
in her quiet gray silk made over since the 
night of the Old Folks' Concert. He was best 
man at the wedding and was a great steadier 
for Bennett's sorely tried nerves. Poor Ben- 
nett was shy and awkward and but for Ran- 
dolph would have forgotten everything he had 
to do. But all went off well and there was never 
a more radiant bride nor more ecstatic groom 
when the ceremony was over and all had gathered 
at the reception. Emily was pale but her eyes 
shone like stars. Bennett was flushed and ex- 
cited but happiness beamed in every feature. 


188 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Nona was standing in a corner watching the 
gay company when Randolph Harwood sought 
her out. “ Well, Miss Mouse/’ he said, “ why 
did you slip away when I tried to reach you just 
now ? ” 

“ Were you trying to reach me? I didn’t 
know it. I came over here to get out of the 
crowd and to look at the people. It was a pretty 
wedding, wasn’t it ? ” 

“ So far as I could judge it was, but in my 
office as best man I didn’t have so good an op- 
portunity to see it as you did. I like you in that 
little gray gown,” he said after a moment, “but 
you should carry May-flowers, Priscilla.” 

“ Oh, I do believe it was you who sent them.” 

“ I acknowledge it.” 

“ Then please receive my belated thanks. I 
am glad you like my little mousey gown; it is 
the same that I wore at the concert; I made it 
over.” 

He smiled at her ingenuousness. “ You made 
it over ? ” 

“Yes. Did you think I was too useless a 
creature to do such things?” 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


189 


“ No, I knew you were a famous needlewoman, 
for I have heard that from your grandmother. 
How is the dear woman ? ” 

Nona's face grew grave. “ I have not seen her 
for several days. She was not pleased at my 
leaving her, but I felt that my first duty was to 
Sylvia in her new experiences as housekeeper, 
and we have been so very busy since I came 
back to town that I have not had any time to go 
out to the farm. Besides," she smiled, “ I want 
her to get over her anger before I see her 
again." 

“ She can be very tempestuous, I fancy. So 
you are living in town again. May I come to 
call on you at your sister’s?" 

“ Yes, if you like. We shall be very glad to 
see you." 

“ Really glad, Nona?" He smiled and there 
was no gloom in his eye. Truly he was keeping 
his word and had cast suspicion behind him. 
Several times of late he had dropped the formal 
Miss Ridgely and had called her Nona as most 
of her friends did. It seemed to be done un- 
consciously on his part, but it pleased Nona, 
nevertheless. 


190 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


She returned his smile. “ Really glad/’ she 
answered, “ especially if you bring some of your 
songs with you/’ 

“ I shall be delighted. I suppose I may not 
see you home.” 

Nona hesitated. “ I came with Sylvia in the 
carriage.” 

“ And she will expect you to return with her ? 
Your sister is magnificent to-night.” 

A shadow passed over Nona’s expressive face 
and Mr. Harwood read her disapproval of Syl- 
via’s costume. He glanced again at her quiet 
dress. How well it suited her. Some day when 
her hair, too, was gray he would like to see her 
always in those neutral tints, gray hair, gray 
eyes, gray gown. But if he were not there to 
see her, if some one else — “ Do you hear from 

Julian North?” he asked abruptly. 

“ Yes, I have had several letters from him.” 
She smiled in remembrance of them. Randolph 
Harwood did not read the smile aright; he 
thought it was because of blissful memories. 

“ You enjoyed your visit to your cousin? ” 

“ Yes, I think I never had a better time; Mar- 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


191 


garet wants me to spend a month with her in 
New York after Christmas.” 

“ Shall you go ? ” 

“ I cannot tell yet. I haven’t made any prom- 
ises. Next week we go up to the city. Mamma 
and Mr. Martin are to be married then, but we 
shall stay only a few days. It will be a very 
quiet wedding, but we think we ought to be 
there.” 

At this moment Sylvia came toward them. 
“ I think we must go, Nona. Where have you 
kept yourself all this time? I have been looking 
everywhere for you.” 

“ I have been over here having a nice quiet 
time looking on. Are you ready? Then good- 
night, Mr. Harwood.” 

He was waiting for her at the foot of the 
stairs when she came down, and saw her to the 
carriage. Sylvia laughed softly as they drove 
away. “ I believe you have made an impression, 
Nona, even if you did insist upon wearing that 
dingy old silk.” 

“ I don’t think it looks dingy at all, Sylvia. It 
is so shiny, and is really very handsome.” 


192 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Well, I saw several persons looking at it as 
if they wondered at your wearing it,” said Syl- 
via serenely, unconscious that anyone could ad- 
mire Nona when she was around. Nona felt 
put down, but she remembered that Randolph 
Harwood liked the gown and she did not grieve. 

If after all he should believe in her, should 
defy facts and proofs and should so un- 
derstand her that he would realize that she was 
incapable of that deceit, how happy she would 
be, for, even as it was, she was happier to-night 
than she had been since those days last summer. 

The next week came the trip to the city which, 
after the marriage of Mrs. Ridgely had been at- 
tended, Nona and Sylvia turned into a shopping 
expedition, and Sylvia enjoyed it hugely. There 
was nothing she liked so well as to spend money 
and Graham had supplied her liberally, even be- 
yond what he could afford, and Sylvia was ready 
to spend it all and more, borrowing at the last 
from Nona to pay for some little extras. There 
had been many useless expenditures, for Sylvia 
could not bear to deny herself anything that she 
saw another possess, and she had an expensive 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


193 


winter outfit by the time she returned home. She 
was generous, too, in her way and had bestowed 
several little things upon Nona which Nona in 
the end had to pay for, as Sylvia would never 
think to return the borrowed money. 

In spite of all this, Nona enjoyed her little trip 
and Sylvia, who as a married woman was anxious 
to be chaperon to her younger sister, put on many 
airs and gave her name impressively. She was 
in good spirits and there were no serious squab- 
bles to mar the enjoyment. Sylvia, always sweet 
and gracious to strangers, was at her best and 
attracted much attention, so she returned home 
in high good humor. 

Mammy True had followed her young mis- 
tress to Sylvia’s new home, so the wheels of 
housekeeping ran smoothly and altogether Syl- 
via was having a happy time of it, for Gra- 
ham was still her lover and was ready to do 
anything she demanded of him. 

Randolph Harwood was a frequent visitor at 
the house as winter approached, and there were 
other callers almost every evening. 

There were, too, divers social events in honor 


194 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


of the two brides, so Nona found herself included 
in many gaieties and enjoyed most of them. It 
was not till after Christmas that she was able to 
consider seriously Margaret’s invitation, and 
then it was that Sylvia expected one of her for- 
mer schoolmates to visit her. 

“ I think I ought to go to Aunt Celia’s as long 
as Ethel Patterson is coming,” she ventured to 
say one day. 

“ Why, Nona Ridgely, as if I shouldn’t want 
you then more than ever,” Sylvia replied. 

“ But I said I would come some time this 
winter, and when Ethel is here seems the best 
time for me to go, for then I wouldn’t have to 
leave you alone.” 

“ Who will paint my score cards and see to 
all the decorations and things when I give any- 
thing for Ethel ? ” asked Sylvia in an aggrieved 
tone. 

“ Why, can’t you ? ” 

“ You know I can’t paint.” 

“ If I knew right away what you needed I 
might do them before I go,” said Nona. 

“ As if I could tell right away. I think you 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


195 


are very mean to wish to go. I am sure you 
have a good time here.” 

“ Yes, I do, but Fd have a chance of hearing 
concerts and of going to fine lectures and of — 
oh, doing lots of things I can’t do here.” 

“ I’m sure if it is a good enough place for me 
it ought to be for you.” 

“ I don’t mean it isn’t good enough, for I love 
the dear old place, only I should like those other 
things once in a while.” 

“ Oh well, if you wish to be selfish about it, 
go on. Of course I can’t expect you to be satis- 
fied with what I can give you.” 

“ Oh Sylvia, don’t talk that foolish way. 
Can’t you understand? ” said Nona impatiently. 

“ I can’t understand anything but that you 
are discontented and that you long for things 
which I cannot furnish you. Do pray go, if you 
feel that way about it. I thought when I had a 
pretty new home and when we could be together 
all the time that you would be perfectly happy, 
but it seems I was mistaken.” 

Nona was both indignant and distressed at this 
view of the question. She did not care for 


196 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Ethel Patterson, whom she had met only once, 
and she knew very well that Sylvia would not 
need her companionship when she had Ethel; 
nevertheless she had a small feeling of self re- 
proach. 

“ I think you would be very foolish to go 
now,” said Sylvia after a while. “ Of course I 
know it is merely because of his fondness for 
music that Mr. Harwood comes here so often, but 
if you go away he will come for another reason, 
I can tell you that.” 

“What do you mean, Sylvia?” Nona felt 
the hot flush mount to her face. 

“ Why he used to know Ethel and was desper- 
ately in love with her, so they say, and I know 
very well Ethel is not going to lose her chance 
of winning him back, so if you don’t want to lose 
him you’d better stay.” 

This was quite enough for Nona. “ You have 
said enough to make me decide to go,” she said. 
“ I’ll go up and begin those score cards and 
things at once. When do you expect Miss Pat- 
terson ?” 

“ On the tenth she said she could come.” 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


197 


“ Very well, I will write Margaret that I will 
be there on that day.” And she left the room. 
It wanted but a week of that date and she was 
obliged to work hard in order to accomplish all 
that she had promised, in the meantime refusing 
more than one invitation. She made a point of 
avoiding Mr. Harwood and did not see him till 
the evening before her departure. She spent a 
day with her grandmother, being received some- 
what stiffly and having no fuss whatever made 
over her. The plainest sort of dinner was set 
before her and she was not pressed to stay, so 
she took her leave feeling rather crushed. Why 
was everyone so bent upon opposing her ? “ I 

feel all torn to pieces,” she told herself, “ with 
one pulling this way and another that. I am 
sure I don’t expect anyone to give up everything 
for me. I don’t ask Sylvia to make sacrifices on 
my account, nor grandma either, but everyone 
seems to think that all I am made for is to do as 
some one else wishes me to; they never seem to 
think I have any right to plans of my own. I am 
sure I do all I can for them both and I love them 
and they know it.” 


198 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


She finished her score cards, a neat pile of 
them, and painted some pretty little dinner and 
luncheon cards, which she gave to Sylvia, who 
accepted them as a matter of course, and laid 
them aside with rather a hurt expression as might 
become an offended deity whose votive offerings 
had not come up to her expectations. Graham, 
too, took the cue from Sylvia and remarked in 
tones of disapproval that he supposed he would 
have to order the expressman for Nona’s trunk. 

“You needn’t trouble yourself,” said Nona 
with spirit; “ I can do it myself.” 

“ It is no trouble,” said Graham ; “ if you 
have really made up your mind to go. Of course 
you will wait till Miss Patterson comes.” 

“ I take the nine o’clock train,” said Nona, 
coolly, “ and Miss Patterson doesn’t arrive till 
four.” 

“ Oh.” Graham’s tone was still more condem- 
natory. 

“ I suppose,” thought Nona, “ that it would 
have been more polite if I had stayed to see her, 
and had waited till to-morrow to go, but I don’t 
like her, and I am going anyhow ; I’d like to see 
anyone consider me in such a case.” 


IN SYLVIA’S HOME 


199 


Altogether it was very unpleasant and even Mr. 
Harwood’s call did not serve to dissipate Nona’s 
feeling of dissatisfaction. She was chillingly po- 
lite to him, for she could not forget Ethel Patter- 
son. Sylvia and Graham had gone out to a card 
party and Nona received Mr. Harwood alone. 
She scorned to mention the name of Sylvia’s ex- 
pected guest and did not bring up the subject. 
She would not sing ; she was too tired. She was 
captious and disdainful, a mood in which Mr. 
Harwood had never seen her. But he attributed 
it all to her excuse that she was tired and took 
his leave early. “ May I write to you ? ” he 
asked. “ You are to be gone — how long? ” 

“A month ; perhaps longer ; I cannot tell. 
Sometimes I think I will never come back.” 

“ Don’t say that, please. Will you give me 
your address ? ” 

Nona told him where her cousin lived and he 
carefully noted it down. “And will you write 
to me once in a while ? ” he asked. 

“ I don’t fancy my letters will interest you,” 
she made reply. “ I shall have very little time and 
you will probably be very much occupied,” she 
said sarcastically. 


200 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ I could never be too busy to read your let- 
ters nor to write to you,” he said gently. He 
held her hand for a moment. “ Good-night, 
little girl ; I will be down to the train to see you 
off. I may do that, mayn’t I ? ” 

“ I am sure I cannot forbid your doing as you 
choose. I do not care.” 

“ Then if you don’t care, I will come. And 
you’ll not promise to write to me? ” 

“ I’ll not promise, for I may not feel like ful- 
filling it.” 

“ Then good-night again. A month is a long 
time.” 

“ It is not so very long till nine o’clock,” re- 
turned Nona with a sudden giving up of her ill 
humor. “Good-night, Mr. Harwood ; I am sorry 
I am so cross.” 

“ You have a right to be if you are tired and 
things have gone awry.” 

“ Things are always going awry it seems to 
me,” she sighed. “ But never mind, they never 
do when I am with Margaret.” 

“ Then I do not grudge her your stay with 
her,” he returned. 


CHAPTER XII 

GOOD TIMES 

Maurice Foster was waiting for his cousin 
when the train pulled into the station at Jersey 
City. He hurried her on board the ferry-boat 
and then took time to look at her. “All's well 
with you, Nona ? ” he asked. 

“ Yes," she answered, “ all is very well. It 
has been quite gay at home and I have been going 
around everywhere. We have two brides in 
town and our friends are vying with each other 
in showing them attentions, so the number of 
luncheons and card parties and things I have 
been to would amaze you. I left Sylvia in the 
thick of it and quite indignant that I should be 
willing to leave so festive a place for this village 
of Gotham." 

Maurice smiled. “ It certainly is not altogether 
slow here, but you will not have just the same 

sort of time we had last summer." 

201 


202 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ We had good times/’ said Nona reminis- 
cently. “ I don’t suppose just such ever do come 
back a second time. How is Ada?” she asked. 

Maurice looked conscious. “ She was very 
well, I believe, when Margie last heard from 
her.” 

“And Jim Macleod?” 

“ We see him often. Julian runs on once in 
a while, too.” 

“ If we could have Ada here we might have 
a reunion.” 

“ Maybe we could manage that,” returned 
Maurice, looking pleased. “ I’ll suggest it to 
Margie. By the way, she told me to say that 
she would have come down with me to meet 
you, but she had an engagement she could not 
very well break, and she knew you wouldn’t 
mind.” 

“Of course I don’t mind. Are we in? Oh 
yes, that bump means the boat has reached the 
pier. Do we take the cars here? My, what 
high buildings, and, oh dear, I’ll get run over 
if you don’t hold on to me hard.” 

Maurice laughed and called her a green coun- 


GOOD TIMES 


203 


try maid as he piloted her safely across the street 
between drays and wagons, and soon they were 
on the elevated train and on their way up town. 
“ I always feel so cheerful when I get with any 
of you all,” said Nona contentedly. “ None of 
you ever rub me the wrong way.” 

“ From which I infer that there are some that 
do?” 

“ Yes, to tell the truth, Maurice, when one’s 
sister gets married it isn’t quite the same thing. 
Sylvia and I used to get along very well, but I 
must say that Graham does try me. He is so 
pompous and so cocksure that he is always right 
that he puts me in a bad humor. One could 
stand it if he had ever proved himself a person 
of surpassing judgment, but he has not set the 
Thames on fire and is not of any great account, 
though you would suppose him a second Solo- 
mon to listen to the way he puts me down. 
There, I feel better. I’ve not had my say in a 
long time, for of course I cannot speak my mind 
to Sylvia, and grandma is already so prejudiced 
that I have to stand up for Graham before her. 
So you see, as you are the first member of my 


204 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


family I have met for some time, you have re- 
ceived the overturning of my vials of discon- 
tent/’ 

Maurice laughed. “ I reckon I can stand it. 
Graham struck me as possessing his own good 
share of self-esteem, but I suppose if Sylvia is 
satisfied we should not complain.” 

“ Oh no, I don’t complain, as far as she is 
concerned, though I repeat that it is pleasant to 
be among people who aren’t quite so self-im- 
portant.” 

“ Thanks for the compliment,” laughed Maur- 
ice. 

“ Do you consider me self-righteous ? ” asked 
Nona wistfully. “ Some persons say that I am. 
Of course no one is perfect, but lately I have 
discovered that I have more faults than ever I 
dreamed of.” 

“ Nonsense,” said Maurice, frowning. “ Cer- 
tainly you are human, Nona, but self-righteous, 
my goodness ! you are never that.” He made up 
his mind that Nona’s new home was rather a 
thorny place for her and he determined that while 
she was in New York it should be a flowery way, 
if he could make it so. 


GOOD TIMES 


205 


Margie was on the lookout for them, and 
took her cousin off immediately to her own 
room. “ I have such lots to say to you,” she 
said. “ Oh, and you have not been here since 
we removed to the Drive. Come, look out of 
my window. There, isn’t that fine ? ” 

Nona gave an exclamation of pleasure. The 
apartment on Riverside Drive faced the river, 
and now, at dusk, myriads of lights twinkled 
out from the city, vessels were passing, and 
along the opposite shore the Jersey cliffs arose. 
“ Isn’t it fine?” said Nona. “I am delighted, 
Margie. I had no idea that any spot in New 
York could be as pleasant as this; it has always 
appeared to me to consist of hotels and long 
rows of houses, so dry and uninteresting, but I 
like this.” 

“ I knew you would,” Margie told her. “I do 
hope we shall have good weather, for we have 
planned so many things to do. Let me see, to- 
night Jim is coming to dinner, and there is sure 
to be company after; to-morrow he and Maurice 
will meet us down town and we are going to one 
of those queer Italian restaurants you have al- 


206 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


ways been curious about, and we will go to the 
theatre afterward. Then there is a morning con- 
cert on Friday, and a card party on Saturday, 
that is to be here, — and Saturday night we are 
going to the opera, and — ” She paused. 

“No more, please, Margie; that is quite 
enough to begin with,” laughed Nona. “ How 
lovely to have operas and concerts flung at you 
in that way. So Jim seems still to be your 
‘ steady/ ” 

“ Oh yes,” Margie returned nonchalantly, “ he 
is the steadiest, but there is a love of a little 
Hungarian I have met, who plays such weird 
music and is so fascinating, and then there is a 
young Italian who comes up and prepares the most 
delicious spaghetti. We always produce the 
chafing dish whenever he appears. You will like 
those two, I know; they are not a bit like the 
every-day people one meets at every turn. Oh 
yes, there is one invitation for next week that you 
will like to accept : Mrs. Van Arsdale is going to 
give a luncheon, and there is to be a fascinating 
Georgia girl there who does monologues in ne- 
gro dialect, and there will be music by a real 
gypsy, some wild Zingara, in costume.” 


GOOD TIMES 


207 


“ I am bewildered,” declared Nona, “ but it 
sounds perfectly delightful, Margie. Will there 
be any time for shopping, do you think ? I have 
waited to get some of my winter things till I 
should reach here.” 

“ Oh yes, we can squeeze in a morning or af- 
ternoon anywhere. What do you wish especially 
to get ? ” 

“A coat or a suit, or something like that. I’ve 
evening and home gowns enough, I think, and if 
I haven’t I can easily get one up in a jiffy.” 

“ Oh, you lucky thing, to be able to depend 
upon your own cleverness,” sighed Margie. 
“ Here, have some candy. I have a whole box 
of Huyler’s that I haven’t touched.” 

“ You can’t tempt me,” replied Nona. “ I 
was supplied very bountifully this morning.” 

“Aha! you were, were you? I’ll wager it 
wasn’t by your precious brother-in-law.” 

“ No, it wasn’t.” She hesitated. “ It was Mr. 
Harwood. He put me on the train and brought 
me some magazines and papers and a box of 
candy.” 

“ Oh-h.” Margaret said no more, but her 


208 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


tone expressed volumes. Then they were inter- 
rupted by the appearance of the expressman with 
Nona’s trunks. After dressing for dinner, which 
was shortly announced, Nona followed her cous- 
in into a pretty dining-room, with its soft lights 
and dainty appointments, to be greeted by Mr. 
and Mrs. Foster and Jim Macleod who arrived, 
out of breath, at the last moment. 

“ I had to run to get here,” he assured them. 
“ The cars were blocked. Am I very late ? ” 

“ No, not so very,” Margaret told him. 
“ Your soup may be a trifle chilly, but that is 
all.” 

“ Oh this Maryland cookery,” Jim murmured 
as he caught sight of a plate of beaten biscuit, 
“ there is nothing like it anywhere. I defy your 
Hungarian or Italian, or any other of your ac- 
complished friends, to serve such a dinner as 
this.” 

“ That’s because you don’t appreciate my for- 
eign friends,” returned Margaret. 

“ No, it is because you are to be congratulated 
upon having a Maryland woman for a mother,” 
said Jim. 


GOOD TIMES 


209 


Maurice laughed. “ It is plain to see that you 
are anxious to get on the good side of my 
mother, Jim. What is the special loaf or fish you 
are striving for ? ” 

Jim looked a little confused and turned the 
subject, while Maurice and Nona exchanged 
meaning glances. 

Dinner was scarcely over before Margie’s two 
foreign friends made their appearance, the young 
Hungarian with his wild hair and fierce eyes 
looking, as Jim expressed it, “ as if he hadn’t 
been long down from his tree.” The young 
Italian, Mr. Rigoni, was more like other people, 
Nona confided to Jim, who sniffed and said he 
looked like a banana vendor, and insisted upon 
always referring to him as the Dago. Neverthe- 
less, Nona was charmed by the young man’s 
courteous manner and found him most agreeable. 
The young Hungarian, Manuelo Strausz, was 
shy and awkward, except when he was talking of 
music or was playing on his guitar and singing 
his wild songs ; then Nona thought him perfectly 
fascinating. 

Margie evidently thought so, too, for she list- 


210 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


ened to his every note with rapt attention, while 
Jim from his corner glowered wrathfully. But 
his hour was to come when Nona sang for them 
and Manuelo fixed his deep eyes on the little 
singer, running his fingers through his long dark 
hair, and being so absorbed in her performance 
that he had ears for no one else. When her song 
was finished he rushed impetuously toward her 
and in his broken English expressed his pleasure 
so extravagantly that Nona was embarrassed and 
was glad when some one proposed that Mr. 
Rigoni should prepare the dish of spaghetti he 
had been talking about, and all trooped to the 
dining-room to put the chafing dish into opera- 
tion. 

“ He must have an apron,” declared Margie. 
Rushing from the room she soon returned with 
a housemaid’s apron which she tied around the 
waist of the “ chef,” as she called him. 

“ I must have a cap-a,” he said, joining in the 
laugh at his appearance, and Nona soon had one 
ready for him which, perched upon his shining 
black head, made him look quite in character 
with his occupation. 


s 




!w m- 



* aSHpv ■< 

• " ' -w ® 

P ■ 




“ I MUST HAVE A CAP-A 


































. 










































* 







' 




GOOD TIMES 


211 


They were in the midst of their fun and hilar- 
ity when the names of Miss Kitty and Mr. Steu- 
art Armistead were announced. Nona jumped 
to her feet. “ Kitty Armistead ! Oh Margie, 
you didn’t tell me she was in town. I’ve not seen 
her since we left school. And Steuart, I remem- 
ber him very well. He used to come every Satur- 
day to see Kitty. Do you remember what larks 
we all had?” And they both laughed. 

“ Bring them right in here,” said Mrs. Foster, 
and Margaret soon had followed her suggestion. 

Kitty darted forward to clasp Nona. “ Oh, 
you dear thing,” she cried, “ I didn’t know you 
were coming.” 

“And I didn’t know you were,” laughed Nona. 

“And here is Steuart,” said Kitty. “ I hope 
you haven’t forgotten him.” 

“ How could I ? ” said Nona giving Mr. Arm- 
istead her hand. And they laughed. 

“ There is evidently some joke here,” said 
Maurice. “ Can’t you enlighten us ? ” 

“ Maybe, after a while,” repied Nona. 
“ When we get to reminiscing you may hear 
several jokes. Come over here, Kitty, and sit 


212 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


by me; I have such a lot of questions to ask.” 
And in a few minutes peals of laughter were 
coming from the corner where the two girls 
had established themselves. 

“ I’m so glad we happened upon a chafing-dish 
party,” said Steuart. “ Do you remember, Miss 
Nona, when you girls stole our club supper? ” 

Nona nodded. “ But that was to pay you 
back for hiring all the vehicles in the place the 
day we wished to have our May party. You 
see,” she said addressing the others, “ our school 
was in a little town, and there was a boys’ school 
there, too, so we were always playing tricks on 
each other to the despair of our teachers. I must 
say that sometimes they were rather mean 
tricks.” 

“ But you never joined those,” said Margaret, 
eager to defend Nona. “ The worst thing I ever 
did was to set our bedroom curtains on fire so as 
to bring out the fire company. We were all 
pining for excitement and had to do something 
to break the monotony. They were my curtains 
and I didn’t care, though mamma did. It was 
a very dangerous thing to do, as I look back 


GOOD TIMES 


213 


at it, for it might have been the means of caus- 
ing a dreadful fire.” 

“ I don’t think that was any worse than what 
Mittie Ellis did,” said Kitty, “ for you put the 
fire right out after you had given the alarm.” 

“ What did Mittie Ellis do ? ” asked Maur- 
ice. 

“ One day when we were out walking we had 
to cross a little bridge that went over the canal, 
and Mittie fell in on purpose. She was a splen- 
did swimmer, but the teacher didn’t know that, 
and she was nearly distracted when Mittie didn’t 
come up where she went down. She thought 
she certainly must be drowned, but Mittie swam 
under water a little way and came to the surface 
further down. Elalf the boys from the Academy 
were rushing down to rescue her, and poor Miss 
Davis was wild. Mittie just did it because Miss 
Davis had told us that we were not to speak to 
the Academy boys when we were out walking, 
and when we reached home after Mittie had been 
dragged ashore by half a dozen boys, she very 
meekly asked Miss Davis if she was going to 
give her demerits for thanking the boys for their 
help.” 


214 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ I can’t imagine Nona’s playing any such 
pranks,” said Mrs. Foster, “ and I didn’t know 
you did, Margie.” 

“ We didn't do anything very bad,” Margie 
replied. “ The curtain trick was my very worst, 
and I ’fessed that long ago. Nona’s worst was to 
join in the serenade we gave Miss Gillespie when 
we heard she was engaged to be married. Such 
a din as we made — combs, jewsharps, mouth- 
organs, and I don’t know what.” 

“ Still we haven’t heard of the prank in which 
Steuart took part,” said Maurice. 

“ You will have to get him to tell that,” said 
Nona. 

“ Out with it, Steuart,” urged Maurice. 

The young man looked a little reluctant, but 
they all clamored for his account of the affair 
and he began. “ I was climbing up to Kit’s 
window one night to take her a box of candy, 
when I slipped on the roof and fell into the slop 
barrel.” 

"And the worst of it was,” Kitty interrupted, 
“ the candy went too.” She spoke in such a re- 
gretful tone that they all shouted; and then the 


GOOD TIMES 


215 


spaghetti was ready and they all took their places 
around the table. 

All this time Manuelo Strausz had been sitting 
by himself, softly twanging on his guitar, but he 
now came forward and elbowed his way to No- 
na's side, where he seated himself. There 
was great fun over the spaghetti. Mr. Rigoni 
deftly wound it around his fork and had no 
trouble at all in managing it; the Hungarian ate 
it by lifting a long piece high in the air, and open- 
ing his mouth to receive it, “ for all the world like 
a young robin when he takes a worm," whispered 
Kitty to Nona. The others strove to im- 
itate the Italian, but no one succeeded 
very well, and finally each used such de- 
vice as was most convenient, but all pro- 
nounced it delicious. Then there was more 
music, a wild dance played by the Hungarian 
in syncopated time, so suggestive of a cake walk 
that Steuart, remembering Nona’s success in this 
direction, insisted upon leading her out, and the 
two ended the evening’s performance by “ bring- 
ing down the house,’’ as Maurice expressed it, 
and were presented with a mock cake when, 


216 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


breathless from her exertions, Nona sank into a 
chair. 

After she was in bed she thought it all over. 
Not since her summer visit to Margie had she 
had such a merry time. She wondered what 
Randolph Harwood would say to such nonsense, 
yet it was not of him that she dreamed, but of 
the wild-haired Hungarian with the intense eyes. 


CHAPTER XIII 

MANY DIVERSIONS 

For the next week there was a round of pleas- 
ures for Nona, but among them all one day stood 
out as being the most satisfactory, all things 
told. Margaret came into Nona's room that 
morning before the latter was up, and perched 
upon the bed beside her, drawing her warm red 
bathrobe closely about her and letting only the 
tips of her bedroom slippers appear. “ Well, 
my lady," she said, “ what do you wish to do 
with yourself to-day? I must tell you that I 
shall have to efface myself for a certain time this 
afternoon, for this is my day for work in our S. E. 
Club." 

“And what does S. E. stand for ? " asked 
Nona, poking her head up above her down cover- 
let. 

“We don't tell everybody, but you shall know. 

It stands for self-effacement. A certain number 
217 


218 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


of us giddy young things felt that unless 
we had a certain time for doing our duty to our 
neighbor we were in danger of being swallowed 
up in the whirl which blows one along here in 
New York, so we resolved that once a week we 
would give an afternoon or morning to doing 
something not merely for our own pleasure or 
profit, but for some one else, some one who 
really needed our help. I suppose,” she added 
laughing, “ that I might make the excuse of 
having devoted myself to my country cousin 
who needed me.” 

“ You mean creature ! ” cried Nona, roused 
from her snuggled down position and sitting up 
in bed. “ If you say such things of me I will 
throw this pillow at you. Go on; tell me more 
about your club; it interests me.” 

“ Then, since you refuse to help me out by 
posing as my duty, to-day you will have to stay 
at home or join in the proceedings. You see we 
haven’t any cast-iron rules ; we take any day we 
choose in the week and give up either morning, 
afternoon or evening. A good many of the girls 
take Sunday, but I think it is better to take some 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


219 


other day if you can, for then you make more of 
a sacrifice. We don’t make it a penance, you 
understand, but we simply do something that 
isn’t for our own self-gratification. Now, this 
afternoon I thought I would go and help Flor- 
ence Owens with the babies. I shall really enjoy 
it and it will give the dear woman a quiet hour 
for her work.” 

“ Who is Florence Owens ? ” 

“ She is the dearest thing, and so bright. She 
married a worthless wretch of a man who didn’t 
support her, but who died a year ago and left 
her with two little children to take care of. She 
manages to get along somehow, writes all sorts 
of things, anything that she can find a sale for; 
but with those two little children it is, of course, 
very hard for her to find time to go out or to 
have a really uninterrupted hour, except when 
Woofy, as he calls himself, is asleep. He is a 
darling and really as good as gold, but it is hard 
for his mother to resist him when he gets tired 
of playing and comes to her for comfort. So I 
am going over there and will try to amuse Woofy 
and Posy while Florence gets a chance to write 
some particularly elusive article.” 


220 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Would she mind — Oh, Margie, might I 
go with you ? ” 

“ Why, of course, if you’d like to. Flo would 
love to see you, and you’ll like her, she is so 
bright and has such courage. She has two or 
three rooms, way up in Harlem, because she 
thinks it is better for the children there, but it 
means long journeys for her when she goes down 
town, and if she has no one to leave the children 
with she must take them with her. We’ll have 
an early lunch and start right after. This morn- 
ing we go to Miss Abbott’s Shakespeare class, 
you know. Goodness ! we’d better hurry and get 
dressed instead of sitting here.” And Margaret 
made a flying leap from the bed, her red robe at 
once disappearing into the confines of her own 
room. 

The Shakespeare class was over by twelve 
o’clock and not long after the girls were on their 
way to Harlem. It was a cold, crisp day, and 
they hurried along, holding their muffs to their 
faces to escape the keen air from the river. 

“ I think your S. E. Club is a great thing,” 
Nona remarked; “ I believe I will try to get up 
one at home.” 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


221 


“We girls think we must give ourselves over 
to pleasure when we leave school,” Margaret re- 
turned ; “ we are so glad of the freedom that we 
can’t think of anything but enjoying ourselves, 
and everybody says : 4 Oh, let them have all the 
fun they can; they’ll never be young but once,’ 
and so we think it is right and proper to be 
butterflies.” 

“ How did you think of this plan ? ” Nona 
asked. 

“ Oh, bless you, honey, I didn’t think of it. 
Don’t give me credit for such solidity of charac- 
ter. It was George Ewing who got it up; she 
is the most thoughtful and the most resourceful 
one among us and is president of the club.” 

“ I thought you said George. Is he a she? ” 

“ Yes, for her name is Georgia, but we never 
call her anything but George. She is a dear; 
you must know her. We meet once a month at 
her home and always come away feeling better 
for it. Don’t imagine she is solemn and slow, 
for she isn’t; she is perfectly delightful, full of 
fun, and the most interesting talker I know. She 
has no end of money and pretty clothes and has 


222 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


nothing in the world to hamper her, for her 
grandfather and she have an apartment and they 
take their meals in the cafe attached to it, so 
George hasn’t an earthly responsibility except 
what she chooses to take. She has a maid who 
looks after her like an old dragon, only she hap- 
pens to be a very nice English woman and not 
a dragon at all. I think George has a great deal 
of character, for lots of girls, in her place, would 
be utterly frivolous. Here we are. Take it 
slowly for there is no elevator and we have four 
flights to climb.” 

They arrived breathless before Mrs. Owen’s 
door, and in answer to Margaret’s knock the 
door was opened by a pretty young woman 
whose face lighted up at sight of Margaret. 
“ Meg, you dear child! You always appear like 
a good fairy whenever I want you most. I was 
wondering how I could get in the half dozen 
things that I so want to do this afternoon, and 
here you are to help me out.” 

“ I am so glad,” replied Margaret, following 
her friend into the room. “ This is my cousin, 
Nona Ridgely, of whom you have heard me speak 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


223 


so often. I know you are .glad to see her, 
Flo.” 

“ Of course I am ; delighted. Come right in, 
girls; don’t mind the clutter of the children’s 
toys, will you ? ” 

“ Where are the dear lambs? ” Margaret asked. 
“ Oh, Woofy, here’s Meg.” 

“ Here’s Woofy,” responded a little voice from 
under the table. And Margaret, lifting up one 
end of the table cover, peeped under. 

“ Oo-oo ! ” said Woofy in a terrible voice. “ I 
is a big bear. I’m going to eat oo, Meg.” 

“ Come try it,” said Margaret, and Woofy on 
all fours crawled out and climbed up into Mar- 
garet’s lap, gnashing his teeth and growling 
fiercely. Margaret caught him to her, covering 
his face with kisses and soon the two were having 
a great romp. 

“ You won’t mind if I go right off and leave 
you, will you, Miss Ridgely ? ” said Mrs. Owens. 
“ There are half a dozen places I ought to go, 
and the afternoons are so short. I don’t know 
what I should do but for Margaret.” 

Nona was making frfends with little Rosalie 


224 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


who was rather shy, but who saw in Nona a 
friend when that young lady picked up a battered 
doll and asked its name. “ She’s named Nona,” 
said Rosalie bashfully. 

“ Why, that is my name,” said Nona in sur- 
prise. 

“ Cousin Meg gave her to me,” said Rosalie, 
“ and she told me her name was Nona.” The 
child looked much pleased and gazed from her 
doll to its namesake. “ I fink you are most as 
pretty as she is,” she remarked gravely. Nona 
laughed, for the battered doll was by no means a 
lovely object. 

“ Oh, that is Posy’s dearest doll,” said Mrs. 
Owens ; “ she had two others at Christmas, but 
they have never taken the place of her beloved 
Nona. So you see, Miss Ridgely, your name is 
a household word.” She turned to Margaret. 
“ I am so eager to see Mr. Appleby of The Occi- 
dent. He sent me word that he might give me a 
chance on the Woman’s page if I could stop in 
this week to see him.” 

“ Oh, Mr. Thomas Appleby? We have known 
him all our lives ; he is a great friend of father’s.” 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


225 


“ I do hope I can get that work,” said Mrs. 
Owens. “ I shall make a great effort to go there 
this afternoon.” She picked up a bundle. “ I 
must go to the office first with these. Would 
you mind if I stayed till quite dark, Meg? Can 
you stay so late ? ” 

“ Oh yes. Nona and I will not mind going 
home after dark since there are two of us. I 
tell you what I wish you would let me do. I 
could go to Mr. Appleby’s as well as not. I be- 
lieve, Flo, that it would be better than if you 
were to go, for you know that you are not your 
own best trumpeter.” 

Mrs. Owens looked quickly around at Nona. 

“ Oh, I can stay with the children,” Nona as- 
sured her. “ I know I can amuse them, Mrs. 
Owens, and I’d love to. You and Margie go 
along and let me stay and keep house. You 
won’t mind leaving the children with me, will 
you? Let me see, I can tell them a story about 
a sheep and a fairy and a bear.” She glanced 
down at Rosalie who was clasping her fingers. 
Woofy came closer. “ A big bear ? ” he asked. 

“ Yes, very big and black. Then, let me see; 


226 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


it seems to me that the dolls might like a party. 
Didn’t we have some animal crackers and two 
oranges and some mint sticks, Margie? I think 
I remember seeing something of the kind.” 

“ How fine ! ” cried Mrs. Owens. “ What a 
lovely time you will have, children. Kiss 
mamma, darlings, for she must go. You dear 
girls, you don’t know what a blessing you are.” 

Nona watched the two disappear and then 
turned her attention to the children who really 
entertained her as much as she did them, for they 
were imaginative little souls and Nona’s make- 
believes were very real to them. They were 
obedient and gentle, for their mother had been 
obliged very often to impose quiet upon them, 
and it was no task at all to amuse them. To be 
sure they had one or two little squabbles when 
Woofy insisted upon eating the doll’s share of 
the candy, but there was no serious outbreak, 
and on the whole the afternoon passed pleasantly. 

The rooms showed many makeshifts but were 
cosy and very pretty. As it grew dark Nona 
gathered the two little ones to her and told 
them stories till presently Margaret appeared 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


227 


jubilant over the success of her visit down town. 
It had been a long, cold trip but she did not mind 
that since her efforts had not failed. It was quite 
dark when Mrs. Owens came in, tired but cheer- 
ful. Margaret ran to meet her. “ Good news, 
Flo! Mr. Appleby was urbanity itself, and it is 
all right. You are to have the page and it 
will pay very well, so you will be sure of a cer- 
tain sum every week. I am so glad I went. I 
never was in a newspaper office before and I 
learned many very interesting things.” 

“ I don’t believe I should have sent you by 
yourself,” said Mrs. Owens hesitatingly. 

“ Nonsense! What difference did it make? 
I went on business and I am no better than you, 
Flo Owens.” 

“ Oh, my dear, I am so thankful for your 
news. I can’t tell you what it means to me. I 
was really discouraged when the new year came 
and the outlook seemed so very dark. I felt al- 
most like giving up once or twice and sending 
the children — ” 

“ Sh ! Sh ! ” cried Margaret. “ Don’t say 
such things. It is all right now and Mr. Ap- 


228 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


pleby is a dear; I know you will like him. You 
are to go down Monday to get your instructions, 
and on Saturday Mr. Appleby will be here to see 
you.” 

“ Oh, but Meg,” said Mrs. Owens deprecat- 
ingly ; “ he is such a busy man.” 

“ And you are such a busy woman. Don’t 
you bother about him; he will live through the 
extra pressure on his time, don’t you fear.” 

She did not tell how wistfully she had 
pleaded her friend’s cause and how her cham- 
pionship had everything to do with Mr. Ap- 
pleby’s decision. “ What luck did you have ? ” 
she asked. 

“ Not much,” returned Mrs. Owens. “ But 
never mind, I saw some funny things and I got 
some new ideas, so my trip was not a failure, and 
you have done me more than one good turn. 
Were my babies much bother, Miss Ridgely?” 

“ Bother ? They were a delight. We have 
had a wonderful time. There have been fairies 
and elves and bears and I can’t tell you what, 
rioting all over this room. And feasts! you 
never knew such a banquet as we have had. I 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


229 


have enjoyed myself so much, Mrs. Owens, and 
I am coming again, if you will let me. May I 
come on Monday while you go down to see Mr. 
Appleby? I can as well as not.” 

“ You dear child, how good you are.” 

“ Please let her come,” whispered Rosalie. 

Mrs. Owens laughed. “ Let her, my baby ? 
I am only too pleased that she will.” 

“ Now I must kiss my namesake good-bye and 
go,” said Nona gravely, pressing her lips to the 
face of the battered doll. 

Rosalie threw her arms around her, enrap- 
tured. “ I love you,” she said. “ I am glad 
you are named after my doll.” 

Margaret laughed. “ I don’t wonder Posy 
puts it that way for the doll looks as if it might 
have come out of the ark.” 

They took their leave feeling so warm of heart 
that the cold night mattered little. “ We must 
hurry,” said Margaret, “ for to-night we are go- 
ing to the Quadrangle Club. They are going 
to give ‘ In a Persian Garden.’ I didn’t know 
till I was down town that we could get the tick- 
ets. I telephoned from Mr. Appleby’s office to 
Maurice and he said he had them.” 


230 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ I am so glad,” said Nona. “ Of all things 
I have wanted to hear that. Is Jim going?” 

“ No, I don’t think so. I don’t know just how 
Maurice has arranged it. We’ll find out when 
he gets home; but one thing I know: it will be 
sung delightfully.” 

“ How I shall enjoy it,” exclaimed Nona 
ecstatically. As if to add to her pleasure in the 
occasion, she found in her room, on her return to 
her aunt’s, a letter from Randolph Harwood. 
“When are you coming home?” he asked. 
“ We all miss you, and each morning I say to 
myself : 

* The Bird of Time has but a little way 
To fly — and lo, the Bird is on the wing,’ 
but yet it seems that he flies heavily, for I do not 
hear from you.” 

Nona held the letter a long time in her hand. 
Then she sighed and slipped it back into its en- 
velope, yet it made her happier. When she had 
dressed herself in her most becoming gown she 
left her room and was attracted by the sound of 
a familiar voice in the parlor beyond. Follow- 
ing the sound she entered the room to find sit- 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


231 


ting there with Margaret, who but Julian North. 
He rushed forward to greet her, seizing both her 
hands and so evidently glad to see her that what- 
ever may have become of his sentimentalism of 
the previous summer it was plain enough that 
his friendship remained. 44 Isn't this the jolliest 
chance ? ” he said. 44 I ran in on Maurice this 
morning and he told me that you were in town 
and that he had tickets for us all to-night, and 
so, Miss Nona, we’re to hear the 4 Persian Gar- 
den ’ together. It is great and I known you’ll like 
it. I’ve been trying to cut away ever since I 
heard you were coming but I couldn’t get off till 
now, and I’ll be on hand till Monday. Consider 
me your slave till then.” 

Nona laughed. It sounded very familiar, all 
this talk. 44 Poor slave,” she said. 44 How 
many chains do you already wear? Tell me 
about your latest flame, and how is Ada and 
when were you last in Fairington?” 

44 Maurice can tell you about Ada better than I 
can,” said Julian nonchalantly, 44 for he writes 
oftener. I was home for the Christmas holidays, 
you know, and my latest love, oh sweet soul, is 
yourself.” 


232 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Silly, silly, silly,” chanted Nona. “ Are 
you going to keep this up all the evening and 
spoil my pleasure in the music? For you surely 
will.” 

“ Then I won’t, but when they sing * O, Moon 
of My Delight,’ won’t you let me hold your 
hand?” 

Margaret threw a sofa pillow at him. “ Stop 
your foolishness, Julian North, or I’ll tell some 
tales on you that you will not like. Remember, I 
remained in Fairington last summer after Nona 
left.” 

Julian put up his hands to ward off the threat. 
“ Please, please, good lady, don’t tell anything 
that will make Miss Nona think any the less of 
me. I’ve been counting on this visit for weeks 
and don’t be so heartless as to spoil it for me.” 

“ Then don’t spoil her pleasure in the 4 Per- 
sian Garden.’ ” 

“ I won’t,” he promised. “ Honest Injun, I’ll 
not. I’ll be as good as pie.” 

He kept his word except that he furtively 
sought Nona’s hand when the tenor began his 
solo “ O, Moon of My Delight,” but Nona gave 


MANY DIVERSIONS 


233 


him a severe look and he settled back in his 
seat and allowed her the pleasure of giving her 
whole attention to the music. Under the bodice 
of her gown lay the letter she had received from 
Randolph Harwood that afternoon and the mu- 
sic aroused in her a great longing to see him. 
“ The Bird of Time is on the wing,” she re- 
peated to herself, “ and soon I will be going 
back.” Yet, though the poetry of old Omar ap- 
pealed to her, and the music touched her inmost 
heart, she rebelled against the pagan philosophy 
and in her room that night her thoughts turned 
to what Margaret had said of George Ewing. 
“ I’d like to meet her,” she thought. “ When 
am I going to see Miss Ewing?” she called to 
Margaret in the adjoining room. 

“ Oh, I can have her here to lunch on Mon- 
day.” 

“ No, not Monday; I promised Mrs. Owen, you 
know.” 

“ Tuesday then. V 11 write a note to-morrow 
and I’ll not ask anyone else, for we want her 
all to ourselves. What was Julian saying as he 
went out ? ” 


234 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Something about the opera to-morrow 
night.” 

“ Shall you care for a matinee then ? ” 

“ I think we’d better give that up. We must 
not burn our candles at both ends, as grandma 
says.” 

“ The boys want us to lunch with them, you 
know.” 

“ Yes, and Julian wants to show me his fa- 
vorite picture at the Metropolitan Museum.” 

“ Oh, well then, that’s enough for one day. I 
suppose Julian will haunt the place. I really be- 
lieve he likes you better than any other girl, 
Nona, for all his nonsense.” 

“ Oh, no, no, I don’t think so.” But Mar- 
garet kept her own private opinion of the mat- 
ter. 


CHAPTER XIV 


SOBER FACTS 

“ And how did you like Omar Khayyam’s 
philosophy when you heard it sung ? ” asked Mr. 
Foster the next morning. 

“ I didn’t like the philosophy any better,” Nona 
answered, “ but I liked the music immensely. Of 
course all of the Rubaiyat isn’t included in the 
‘ Persian Garden ’ and the parts that hurt one 
the most are those which are left out.” 

Mr. Foster smiled. “ Then you don’t believe 
in the doctrine which bids us eat, drink and be 
merry, for to-morrow we die.” 

Nona looked serious. “ It seems as if I had 
ever since I have been here.” 

“ Oh, my dear,” expostulated M'rs. Foster, 
“ your uncle didn’t mean to suggest such a 
thing.” 

“ I know he didn’t,” returned Nona, coloring 

up, “ but I was just reminded of it myself. I do 
235 


236 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


enjoy having a good time, but — I don’t like to 
think that it is all I am meant for. I have heard 
so many new and strange things since I came to 
New York. At Miss Abbot’s one of the girls 
was raving over one of those Hindoo teachers, 
Swamis, I believe they call them, and then there 
are others who believe as Omar says : 

‘ This Life flies : 

One thing is certain and the rest is Lies,’ 
and that is all they do believe, so they live for 
pleasure, for the excitement of the moment and 
think of nothing else. It seems strange to me 
that any one could want anything better than 
the Christian religion.” 

“ In its purity,” said Mr. Foster gravely. 
“ Dear child, I hope you will always believe ex- 
actly as you do to-day.” 

Julian was on hand early and for the next two 
days quite absorbed Nona. He liked and re- 
spected her above all the girls that he knew and 
yet of all of them she was the only one who did 
not seem pleased with his sentimental speeches. 
“ You are so up and down honest,” he said to 
her, “ that you regularly floor a fellow when you 


SOBER FACTS 


237 


look at him so seriously. You won’t pretend 
anything.” 

“ Except when I am playing with children. If 
you want to play at fairy-tales, that is another 
thing, but if you are you and I am I there is 
no sense in acting as if each one was some one 
else.” 

“ You certainly are yourself and no other, and, 
confound it, I can’t help liking you better for it. 
I do, Miss Nona, and that is a fact. You take 
hold of a fellow in a different way from that of 
most girls. When you say nice things you mean 
them, and one knows just where to find you.” 

Nona smiled. “ Mamma says I will never 
make a success in society because I won’t flatter, 
but I can’t bear anyone to flatter me; it sounds 
so insincere, and I always feel as if I were con- 
sidered a silly little brainless creature when I am 
offered such sugar-plums, as if I were not sen- 
sible enough to care for anything else. You can 
always tell when one is trying to flatter you and 
those who say such things generally have an axe 
to grind. I believe in saying nice things when 
they are true and when they don’t add to a per- 


238 


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son’s vanity. Some persons need encourage- 
ment and get dreadfully low in their minds un- 
less they have a few compliments once in a while 
to give them assurance, but you’ve got to be 
careful to choose wisely not only your compli- 
ments but those to whom you give them. I think 
often that the things about which a person is 
most modest and the least self-assured are the 
very ones he can do the best, while the things 
about which he is always wanting to be flattered 
are the ones he can’t do well.” 

“ I believe that is so,” returned Julian. “ How 
you have reasoned it all out.” 

“And have given you a real lecture on the sub- 
ject.” 

“ I don’t mind that kind of lectures. Are you 
coming up to Fairington this summer? I hope 
so.” 

“ I can’t tell what a summer will bring forth,” 
returned Nona. And then with a twinkle in her 
eye : “ Isn’t Ada going to have any of her girl 
friends with her ? ” 

Julian had the grace to look confused. “ Now, 
Miss Nona,” he replied, “ that is too bad. I 


SOBER FACTS 


239 


don’t care whether she has or not. I’d like to 
have every summer as it was the month you 
spent in our little town.” 

“ We did have a good time,” returned Nona, 
“ and I am having a good time here.” 

“ So am I,” answered Julian, helping himself 
to a toothsome piece of chocolate from a box on 
the table at his elbow. Julian’s offerings in the 
shape of boxes of candy were much appreciated 
by the girls, although Margaret teasingly said: 
“ Julian always brings candy because he can help 
to eat it.” 

“ Now Miss Margaret,” he expostulated, “ I’ll 
bring flowers next time.” 

“ Oh no, don’t,” hastily said Margaret, and 
they all laughed at the protest in her tones. 

The two were sitting by one of the win- 
dows overlooking the river this Sunday after- 
noon, when Margaret joined them. Julian be- 
wailed the fate which must take him away the 
next morning. 

“And this is my last Sunday, too,” said Nona 
regretfully. 

“ Oh no,” exclaimed Margaret. “ Why Nona, 
what makes you say that ? ” 


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“ Because it is. I had a letter from Sylvia last 
night and she says that Ethel Patterson is going 
the first of the week and that I must come right 
home. ,, 

“ Oh bother ! ” cried Margaret. “ I’d like to 
see me let Sylvia order me around in that way. 
Don’t you go.” 

“ But Sylvia will need me.” 

“Nonsense! She has plenty of friends and I 
don’t see why she should be any more lonely than 
anyone else. I think she is horrid to want to 
break up your visit.” 

However, Nona did not give up her intention, 
though Margaret tried hard to dissuade her from 
it. “ There are still so many things to do,” she 
said regretfully ; “ we haven’t begun to get 
through.” 

“ Never mind,” said Julian,” she is coming up 
to Fairington next summer for the entire sum- 
mer and then we will have some good old times, 
just as we did last year.” 

Nona smiled. “ As Uncle Remus says: ‘ Tar 
Baby ain’t a-sayin’ nuffin’.’ ” 

Margaret gave her a sly look. “ You know 


SOBER FACTS 


241 


what I didn’t promise you when you went away 
last summer, Nona. I think I might safely have 
done it.” 

Nona made a dab at her with the fan she was 
holding. “ Hush, you bad girl, you don’t know 
what may happen before next summer; it is too 
early to count on anything or anybody.” 

“ What riddles are you two talking?” asked 
Julian curiously. 

“ We don’t tell. Wait till next summer,” 
Margaret told him. 

The week flew by all too rapidly. Nona con- 
fessed that she did miss Julian, and Margaret ve- 
hemently declared that this time it was “ the real 
thing” with Julian, though Nona scoffed at the 
idea. 

Monday saw her again in charge of the Owens 
babies, and the next day brought George Ewing. 
She was not a really beautiful girl, but there was 
a charm in her voice and manner that it was im- 
possible to withstand and Nona promptly fell in 
love with her. 

Indeed, the two seemed mutually attracted, 
and it was a genuine regret to Nona that she 


242 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


must so soon leave the city when the promise 
of this new friendship was so pleasant. George 
asked the girls to lunch with her, and began to 
plan many pleasures for them, but they were 
nipped in the bud by Nona’s departure. She 
did linger till the last moment and then went off 
unwillingly, Margaret’s last words to her being : 
“ All next summer, remember.” 

Sylvia was not at the station to meet her sis- 
ter, for she had some festivity on hand, and 
Nona arrived at the house to find no one at home 
but Mammy True. “ I sholy is glad to see yo 
face agin,” she said as she opened the door. “ I 
wisht yuh’d hu’y up an’ git ma’ied, Miss Nona, so 
I kin come an’ live with yuh. I ain’ had no 
sattyfaction o’ mahse’f sence I lef’ de ole house.” 

“ Oh, but I couldn’t be so mean as to take 
you from Miss Sylvia, even if I were married, 
Mammy,” returned Nona. 

“ Dey wouldn’t be no tekin’ ; dey would jes be 
a gwine, an’ I’d be de one dat done de gwine. Is 
yuh had yo suppah ? ” 

“ Not yet, but there will be time enough when 
Mr. Waters comes.” 


SOBER FACTS 


243 


“ He ain’ a-comin’, nuther is she. Dey is 
gone to some sorter fessible an’ ain’ cornin’ home 
fo’ night. Miss Sylvy say ef yuh is come to give 
yuh a good mess o’ sumpin an’ say she come 
back late.” 

“Very well; any time will do. How is Miss 
Sylvia?” 

“ She lookin’ sorter peaked. She run too 
much, I say. She on de go all de time, paddin’ 
hyar, an’ paddin’ dere; up late in de mornin’ an’ 
up late at night ; jes gad, gad, gad, all de undu’in 
time. An’ dat young miss, what been hyar, 
de same. My, she’s de one to mek eyes at de 
beaux 1 I sees huh one night when dat Mr. Har- 
’ood hyar to dinnah, an’ dey off in de comder 
when I brings in de coffee to de lib’ry, an’ she 
mekkin’ eyes at him fo’ all she wo’th, an’ he 
lookin’ foolish like settin’ dere holdin’ huh han- 
kercher.” 

A sudden chill seemed to strike Nona’s heart. 
It was as she had feared, but why should it 
trouble her? “ I’ll go up to my room, Mammy,” 
she said, “and when I am ready I will come 
down and you can give me a cup of tea ; I shall 
not want anything else.” 


244 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Humph ! ” grunted Mammy, as Nona disap- 
peared. “ She look worrited. I reckons she 
think Miss Sylvy runnin’ huhse’f to deaf. Law ! 
she fair dote on Miss Sylvy lak she gol’ an di’- 
minds, po’ chile ! ” 

Nona went slowly up-stairs, stopping a mo- 
ment at the door of Sylvia’s room which was 
strewn with garments and from which a soft per- 
fume of violets issued. Mechanically Nona went 
in and picked up a skirt from the floor, a dress- 
ing sacque from the bed, a pair of corsets from 
a chair and put them away. Then she went on 
to her own room. It was evident that it had 
been occupied by Miss Patterson and that she had 
not been long gone, or else the room had been 
allowed to remain just as she left it, for the bed, 
from which the bed-clothes had been taken, was 
unmade; the dressing-table was sprinkled with 
powder and cluttered with odds and ends of vari- 
ous kinds; a drawer of the stand stood open; 
empty bottles of some face lotion stood on the 
washstand, and the room was redolent with the 
odor of scented soap. Nona threw open the win- 
dows and after putting away her hat and wraps, 


SOBER FACTS 


245 


proceeded to set the place to rights. The house- 
maid was out and there was no hope of having 
the room swept that evening, but Nona applied 
herself vigorously to clearing away the clutter; 
then, after getting fresh linen, she made the bed, 
closed the windows and went down-stairs with 
her scrap-basket loaded with rubbish. 

“ Dere now, what I say ? ” exclaimed Mammy 
when she saw her. “ I ask dat lazy Malviny is 
she fix dat room an’ she say she so do. I ’low 
de baid ain’ even maid. ,, 

“ It wasn’t. Do, Mammy, throw away this 
stuff ; it makes me fairly ill. If it wasn’t so late 
I’d go out to grandma’s; I am so disgusted. I 
really hate to sleep in that room.” 

“ I fly in an’ sweep hit up right now,” said 
Mammy waddling across the floor for the broom. 

“ No, never mind to-night ; it’s all dusted and 
I left the windows open for a good while. I 
suppose Malviny isn’t doing any better. I won- 
der Sylvia keeps her.” 

“ She gwine keep huh. Malviny know where 
huh bread an’ butter lay. She say, ‘ Law, Miss 
Sylvy, yuh so pretty an’ yo clothes so stylish an 


246 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


rich lookin’ I clar I fergit to do dat’ : das what 
she say when Miss Sylvy scold, an’ so she gwine 
keep huh till she so good-fer-nothin’ she bleedged 
to let huh go. Come along, honey, I has yo sup- 
pah ready fo’ yuh : nice hot chocolate an’ toas’ an’ 
a lil bit o’ oyscher stew an’ sponge cake what I 
mek dis ve’y day an’ dem yaller blue monges 
what yuh laks so much, de jelly kin’ wid aigs in 
hit. Come get yo suppah, Mammy’s baby.” And 
Nona, encouraged by this interest in her welfare, 
sat down and ate more than she had believed 
possible, lingering over her meal daintily. 

“ I was hungry, Mammy,” she said as the old 
woman appeared to clear away the dishes. 
“ Everything tasted so good.” 

Mammy beamed. “ Dey is a good fiah in de 
lib’ry, yuh go in dere an’ read de picture papers, 
an’ mek yo’se’f comfable. You trunk done come, 
an’ I done swep’ yo room a little, but hit col’ up 
dere, fo’ I lef de winders open. When hit git 
fresh an’ sweet I’ll shet em up an’ tu’n all de 
heat up dere.” 

“ Oh, Mammy, you are a dear,” said Nona, 
giving her a hug. “ It was good of you to do 
that lazy Malviny’s work.” 


SOBER FACTS 


247 


“ ^ a i n> do hit for' no Malviny, honey. I does 
hit fo my baby. I’ll git hit out o’ Malviny yit, 
yuh see/’ And she went off chuckling. 

For an hour Nona sat before the open grate 
fire, but she did not read much. She was think- 
ing, thinking. She pictured the scene of which 
Mammy had told her — over there in the cosy 
corner it must have been — and she closed her 
eyes as if to shut out the vision. It had been 
nothing but pain and struggle from the very first, 
why so persistently allow herself to care for this 
man of all others? She would control the feel- 
ing; she would not allow it to take possession of 
her. She would think of Julian, who, after all, 
might make her happier, and her memory took 
her back to Margaret, and Maurice, and Jim, to 
the wild-haired Hungarian, to the gentle-voiced 
Italian, to Florence Owens, so bravely fighting the 
battle of life, and it is quite possible, if it had 
been earlier in the day, that, under the pressure 
of her loneliness she would have started back to 
New York then and there, that she might rid her- 
self of uncomfortable associations. 

She did not wait for Sylvia's return, but went 


248 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


to bed early, and though she felt hurt at being 
left alone, she was spared any reproaches for not 
sitting up for her sister, when she appeared at the 
breakfast table the next morning. 

Sylvia pounced upon her and embraced her 
rapturously. “ Oh, you dear thing ! ” she cried. 
“ I am so glad to see you. We had no idea that 
you would come before Monday, as long as it was 
so late in the week. I knew Mammy True would 
take care of you if you did happen to come, so I 
let Malviny go to a wedding. I am afraid your 
room was not in order, though.” 

“ Mammy helped me get it ready,” Nona told 
her, “ and she had a nice supper for me, so I 
didn’t suffer.” 

“ We were invited to the Payne’s to dinner and 
there were cards afterward, SO' we couldn’t get 
away ; Graham was so interested in his game.” 

Nona looked at her sister critically. There 
were shadows under her eyes and she looked 
thinner, but she was in good spirits. 

“ We’ve been having a lovely time,” Sylvia 
went on. “ Ethel is such fun, and she made 
quite a sensation, so we had loads of company, 


SOBER FACTS 


249 


and went everywhere you can think. She would 
have stayed till the last minute, for there were 
things coming up all the time, but she had prom- 
ised to be bridesmaid for a cousin and simply 
had to go. Did you have a good time ? ” she 
asked, pouring out Nona’s cup of coffee. 

“ I had a perfect time,” Nona answered. 

“ Then I don’t see why you didn’t stay a little 
longer,” said Sylvia nonchalantly. 

Nona looked surprised. “ But you said you 
wanted me to come right back.” 

“ Well, so I did, but I could have invited 
Grace Martin to make me a visit; she is a niece 
of mamma’s Mr. Martin, you know. By the 
way, mamma came to see me last week; she is 
looking well and wanted to know when you were 
coming to see her. I told her I couldn’t spare 
you, and she said Grace was ready to make her 
visit to me at any time.” Nona thought regret- 
fully of the good times she had given up that 
she might return to her sister, and wished that 
Sylvia had been a little more exact upon the sub- 
ject. 

Sylvia was captious and capricious these days, 


250 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


and Nona found it harder to get on with her. 

It did not hurt her in the smallest degree to be 
called intolerant and opinionated when she did 
not agree with Sylvia, and she did not resent the 
accusation. She knew perfectly well that no one 
else thought her so, and it sometimes really 
amused her to observe Sylvia’s attitude of self- 
righteousness, for she could never be brought to 
believe herself in the wrong. Graham had so 
often told his wife that she was an angel that 
she was secure in her self-esteem. Her little pet- 
tish moods, which swirled her around like a leaf 
in a stream, would have won the contempt of a 
less loving soul than Nona, but Nona’s affection 
was unassailable, and she viewed Sylvia’s small 
jealousies as she would the scratchings and bit- 
ings of an irresponsible kitten. Once in a while 
she did venture to press home a charge, founded 
upon some former representation of Sylvia’s, but 
that person would promptly retreat, resent, deny, 
or, if the matter was shown up in proof positive 
fashion, Sylvia would defy her sister and take 
refuge in tears. Nona found it rather a puzzle 
to dispose properly of her sympathies, for Sylvia - 


SOBER FACTS 


251 


was as variable as the wind, and was a martyr in 
so many contradictory causes that her sister 
never knew whether hers was the hand that was 
supposed to' have lighted the martyr’s fire, or 
whether the inquisitorial thumb-screws had been 
applied by Graham or some other. 

Never admitting that she could be wrong, 
Sylvia was ready to denounce Graham one day 
and declare that Nona was the only one who 
loved her, but at the faintest suggestion from 
Nona, of indifference on Graham’s part, Sylvia 
would promptly turn on her and deny every for- 
mer statement which she may have made, always 
providing that Graham in the meantime had won 
her over by flattery. Nona often found so 
many dreadful qualities imputed to herself, that 
she wondered how it was that no one else had 
discovered them. 

“ You have a very poor memory or a very con- 
venient one,” was the most that she ever said, and 
straightway Sylvia wept. When pressed too far 
Nona would take refuge with her grandmother 
for a few days and by that time would be driven 
back to Sylvia with a renewed affection because 


252 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


of Mrs. Wilson’s arraignment of her sister. 
“ Poor Sylvia,” Nona would sigh, “ she never 
dreams that anyone except grandma criticizes her. 
I suppose it may be true, as grandma says, that 
what she imagines herself to be exists only in 
her own mind, and that what she really is makes 
itself too obvious to others.” 

Yet Sylvia could be so sweetly affectionate, so 
delightfully entertaining, that outside the bosom 
of her own family her defects were hardly known, 
and because of the sweetness and delightfulness, 
Nona’s love for her never failed, and she con- 
tinued to bear with her, to wait on her, to sew 
for her and help her in the many directions where 
Sylvia was helpless, that it was no wonder 
she was ready to keep her sister near her. 
She appreciated Nona, too, in a certain way, but 
because she felt in her heart of hearts that Nona 
gave far more than she received, Sylvia made the 
most of what she did bestow, and set so high a 
value upon her own acts of generosity that Nona 
was sometimes made very uncomfortable when 
Sylvia reminded her of her weight of obligation. 
She kept all these things to herself, however, and 


SOBER FACTS 


253 


did not alter her attitude of devotion toward her 
sister. Indeed, it is unlikely that she realized 
the extent of Sylvia’s unpleasant qualities, since 
they were offset by so many agreeable ones, and 
since love is blind. 


CHAPTER XV 


AN EASTER PARTY 

By the beginning of Lent Sylvia was quite 
worn out and drooped more and more as the 
spring drew near, so finally Graham decided 
that when Easter came he would take her to At- 
lantic City for a couple of weeks. “ Then you 
can go to Baltimore and make mamma that prom- 
ised visit,” said Sylvia to Nona. 

“ I will see,” Nona replied. “ I am not sure 
that I shall care to go.” 

“ I’d love to have you go with us,” said Syl- 
via. “ Won’t you come, Nona? I can lend you 
the money for the trip.” 

Nona shook her head. “ No, I’d better not. 
I don’t need the change of air as you do.” She 
remembered that Ethel Patterson would be there 
and she had no desire to meet the young lady, 
and, moreover, she had begun to see that Graham 

was jealous of her affection for her sister. His 
254 


AN EASTER PARTY 


255 


was not a large nature, and he would fain oc- 
cupy all the room in Sylvia’s heart, and crowd 
out even her own sister. He was a little jealous, 
too, of Ethel Patterson, but she made an effort to 
amuse him and Sylvia did not see her often 
enough to give Graham much cause for discom- 
fort. With Nona it was different and the girl 
was learning that her presence in Sylvia’s home 
Was not altogether to Graham’s liking, yet be- 
cause Sylvia wanted her she ignored the fact, un- 
comfortable as it made her feel. She had more 
than once determined to make her home with her 
grandmother and if there had been harmony be- 
tween Mrs. Wilson and Sylvia she would have 
done so. 

She had not mentioned Mr. Harwood to Syl- 
via, but on one or two occasions when Sylvia was 
in a bad humor, she had referred spitefully to 
Mr. Harwood’s attentions to Miss Patterson, and 
had declared it would be a match ; in consequence, 
Nona avoided Mr. Harwood whenever she could, 
and taking his cue from her, he seldom called; 
when he did, Sylvia was present, and most of 
the evening was given to music. Nona had told 


256 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


her sister of Julian, and Sylvia had been inter- 
ested, so that she made many allusions, in Mr. 
Harwood’s presence, to Nona’s admirer, and had 
taken delight in making him believe that it was a 
serious matter. She had determined that she did 
not care for Mr. Harwood as a brother-in-law, 
but that she would like him to marry Ethel Pat- 
terson. Nona should marry Julian and live in 
New York and then Sylvia could visit her there. 
Ethel should marry Randolph Harwood, and 
then Sylvia would have her friend close at hand ; 
so she arranged it all and was well pleased with 
her plans. 

“ I will not, I will not let myself care for him,” 
said Nona to herself one day in March, when, 
seeing Randolph across the street, she felt her 
heart beat and her cheeks flame. She was on her 
way to her grandmother’s. It was cold enough 
to make good walking and Nona had escaped 
with a feeling of relief at the prospect of the 
walk. It had been a trying week, for Sylvia had 
been more than usually exacting and petulant, 
and Nona had sewed steadily to help her sister 
in her preparations for the visit to Atlantic City. 


AN EASTER PARTY 


257 


She turned up a side street to avoid speaking and 
then chided herself for doing so. “ I wish I 
might never see him,” she said to herself pas- 
sionately. Then suddenly she remembered the 
evening she had parted from him in Fairington 
and she whispered : “ He did care ; he did. Oh, 

it is cruel, cruel of fate to treat me so.” For a 
moment she felt as though she must retrace her 
steps; that she must go to him and declare her 
innocence. The joy of feeling that there would 
then be no barrier between them dazed her for a 
moment, and she stood still »in indecision. 
Then Sylvia’s face rose before her, beautiful, 
tenderly reproachful, with shadows under the 
eyes and a pathetic droop to the lovely mouth. 
Nona caught her breath and hurried on. 
“ Never, never,” she murmured. “ 1 will die 
first. Oh, Sylvia, my dear thorny rose, you are 
so sweet that I would bear anything for you.” 
But her emotion made her strangely tired and 
she, too, looked pale when she reached her grand- 
mother’s. 

Mrs. Wilson was busy in the garden with 
Thad, directing some work. She nodded to 


258 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Nona. “ I’ll be in directly. Go into the sitting- 
room and take off your things ; it is too damp out 
here unless you are prepared for it.” She was 
not long in following her grandaughter. “ Well,” 
she said, “ I am glad to see you. I was think- 
ing of you this morning. I met Sylvia on the 
street yesterday and she said that she was going 
to the sea-shore next month and that you were 
going to Mrs. Martin’s for a visit. Why can’t 
you come here instead ? ” 

“ I could,” answered Nona smiling. “ It isn’t 
at all a settled thing that I go to mamma now. 
I’d rather come here, please ma’am.” 

Mrs. Wilson divested herself of her wraps and 
garden gloves and sat down in a big rocking- 
chair before the open fire, putting her feet on the 
fender to take off the chill. “ Nona, child,” she 
said, “ I used to think I could never stand a lot 
of noise and the clatter of young voices in the 
house again, but of late I have been longing for 
it. Do you think — would you like to invite 
some of your friends here to spend Easter week? 
That young man, the college student, and your 
cousins — a half dozen or so wouldn’t be too 


AN EASTER PARTY 


259 


many. I’ve been thinking it over and if you 
would like it, Benona, I would.’ ’ 

Nona went over and gave her a hug. “ You 
dear grandy, of course I’d like it ; I’d love it, and 
you are a dear to think of it. But are you sure 
it wouldn’t worry you ? ” 

“No, it wouldn’t; I think I should like it; at 
any rate I want to try it and I think while Sylvia 
is away you may be lonely, and you have such 
lively times when you go visiting, so — I 
thought — ” 

“ I know just what you thought, grandma, and 
I love you for it. I am going to tell you a se- 
cret : some day — I don’t know just when — but 
there are signs which mean that I shall not al- 
ways live with Sylvia. I think Graham would 
like to have her all to himself and then — ” 

“ You’ll come to me,” her grandmother said 
triumphantly. “ Oh, child, let it be soon.” 

“ It’s going to be soon in one way, for when 
Sylvia gets off I will come right here, and oh, 
grandy, we’ll write to Margie and Maurice. I 
don’t know whether Maurice can come or not, 
but if he can it would be nice to have Ada; and 


260 


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Julian will come I know, and Jim, if he can get 
away. That will be just the crowd we had last 
summer. Oh, grandma, it will be just too much 
fun for anything. But what will Aunt Hannah 
say? and can we manage so many?” 

“ I’ll manage Aunt Hannah. We can have 
her granddaughter to help and that will satisfy 
her, and — let me see — about the rooms.” 

“ I can take Margie in with me, and that will 
leave the little bedroom for Ada, and the others 
for the boys ; that will do finely.” 

“Yes, if you don’t mind sharing your room 
with your cousin.” 

“ Of course I don’t mind. Weren’t we room- 
mates and bed-fellows for three years at school? 
Besides, my room here is twice as big as the one 
we had at school. Will you write to them or 
shall I?” 

“ You may write and say that it is at my re- 
quest. It is your house-party, Nona.” 

“ Oh, you dear ! and to think I was feeling so 
blue and doncy as I came along.” 

“ Anything serious ? ” 

“ No, only Sylvia looks so droopy and — and 


AN EASTER PARTY 


261 


— oh, I don't know — I think it is because spring 
is coming and one gets into a queer state then; 
teary and longy and heart-swelly and all that.” 

“ Humph ! ” Mrs. Wilson was thoughtful for 
a moment. “ Have you seen Mr. Harwood late- 
ly ? ” she asked abruptly. 

“ I saw him across the street as I was on my 
way here. He spent the evening with us a couple 
of weeks ago.” 

“ I never could quite understand,” Mrs. Wil- 
son began. “ You liked him, Nona, at first, and 
he was — I am sure he was attracted to you ; that 
was one reason why — ” 

“ Why you liked him, you dear grandy? Well, 
if all is true that one hears, he was very devoted 
to Miss Patterson when she was in town. She 
was an old flame of his, I believe, and so — you 
see, grandma.” 

“ I see. Be sure you write a particularly pres- 
sing invitation to your college lad. I want him 
anyhow." 

Nona laughed. “ He is Mr. Harwood's cous- 
in, you know,” she said, and settled herself to 
the task of writing the notes which Mrs. Wilson 


262 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


insisted should be despatched at once lest there 
should be other plans made by those whom they 
wished to come. 

The notes were mailed on Nona’s way home 
and in a few days came the answers. Julian and 
Margaret accepted joyfully; Maurice could come 
for a couple of days anyhow; Jim would come if 
he could, and Ada would let them know in a few 
days. Therefore the week before Easter when 
Sylvia set forth to Atlantic City Nona turned 
toward her grandmother’s with a feeling of pleas- 
ant anticipation. She had been longing to do 
something of this kind ever since she left school, 
but since the breaking up of her home she had 
realized that there was no spot where she was 
free to offer entertainment to her individual 
friends, and this was such a delightful plan. 

The old farm-house was picturesque in that it 
had been added to and lengthened out so that it 
had not a commonplace aspect. It had wide 
porches above and below, and to the original 
building had been built a wing on a wing so that 
one end was quite separated from the other by 
a wide stairway. The large bedrooms over the 


AN EASTER PARTY 


263 


parlor and library were set aside for the young 
men, the goats, as Nona called them, while the 
feminine part of the household were relegated to 
the other end, the rooms over hall, sitting-room 
and dining-room. Over the main part of the 
house ran a large attic and above this was a cu- 
pola, a favorite retreat for Nona. 

The crocuses and daffodils were in bloom in 
the flower borders, and in the windows of the 
sitting-room were blossoming plants of geraniums 
and divers other things, so that a cheerier place 
could not be imagined. Thad had furbished 
up the old carryall, and Nona was to drive the 
buggy to meet the guests. It was with no little 
excitement that both the girl and her grandmother 
awaited the arrivals. Sylvia was quite charmed 
at the plan when told of it. That Julian should 
be coming suited her exactly, and she hoped it 
would further his cause. She was glad, too, that 
Nona would have this pleasure, for, to do her 
justice, she did wish to take her sister with her 
but had received so little encouragement from her 
husband when she broached the subject that she 
had not insisted. “ Nona does not really care 


264 


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for Atlantic City/’ she told herself and had gone 
away quite content. 

When the train pulled into the station Nona 
looked eagerly for her friends. There they were, 
wildly waving to her, and she ran forward to 
meet them. 

“Isn't this great?" cried Julian, getting hold 
of her hand. 

“ Oh, Nona, I'm perfectly wild," cried Mar- 
garet, clutching her arm. 

“ Isn't your grandma a dear ? " said Ada, her 
hand on Nona’s shoulder. 

“ Who speaks to go with me in the buggy ? " 
asked Nona. 

“ I ! I ! " cried Margaret, and “ I, " said Ju- 
lian. 

“ I can't take both," said Nona ruefully, “ as it 
is, we shall be crowded. Let me see, five in the 
carryall, and two in the buggy or four in the 
carryall and three in the buggy; which shall it 
be?" 

“ Let us girls all go in the buggy ; we can 
squeeze in if it’s wide," said Margaret. 

“ Oh, it is wide; a perfect ark," Nona told her. 


AN EASTER PARTY 


265 


“ Come on then, we’ll get in and leave the boys to 
their own devices.” And before the young men 
knew what they were about they were all settled. 

“ I say,” cried Jim, “ that is too bad. You 
oughtn’t to flock off that way by yourselves.” 
But Nona only laughed and touched up the old 
horse who started off leaving Thad with his load 
to follow. 

“ I believe if I had been given the pleasures 
of the universe to choose from I couldn’t have 
selected anything lovelier than this,” said Mar- 
garet enthusiastically. “ To think of the whole 
crowd of us under one roof for all this time. Do 
you think your grandmother will want us to be 
very proper and stiff ? ” 

“ Indeed she will not,” returned Nona. “ She 
is a bit of a martinet, and can be very sarcastic 
when she chooses, but when she pleases she can 
be the most delightful person in the world, and 
she is never strait-laced; that isn’t one of her 
angles.” 

Mrs. Wilson on this occasion pleased to be the 
most delightful person in the world as Nona had 
expressed it, and welcomed her young guests with 


266 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


a fine courtesy and graciousness which at once 
put them at their ease. “ She is a darling,” whis- 
pered Margaret, and the spontaneous remark be- 
ing heard by Mrs. Wilson, Margaret’s place was 
assured. Ada, a little more shy and reserved, did 
not make quite so favorable an impression, but 
to Julian Mrs. Wilson was specially gracious, giv- 
ing him at table the place of honor at her right 
hand. She always insisted upon doing the carv- 
ing herself, and Nona’s seat was behind the cof- 
fee urn. 

If Mrs. Wilson wished to know how it would 
seem to hear young voices about the house, she 
certainly had the opportunity afforded her, for 
within twenty-four hours the whole party had 
made themselves perfectly at home. Gay waltzes 
and popular songs floated out upon the air ; there 
were bursts of laughter and girlish squeals ; there 
were manly shouts and friendly scuffles, and more 
than once during the day Mrs. Wilson would 
stand still and listen, a smile upon her face. 
Nona was exuberant and her grandmother 
watched her with fond affection. “ That’s what 
the child has been needing,” she said to herself; 


AN EASTER PARTY 


267 


“companions of her own age who understand and 
love her.” Margaret’s devotion and Julian’s at- 
tentions were not unobserved, and in consequence 
these two were singled out for special favor. 

“ You are going to have real country eggs,” 
said Nona on Easter morning ; “ none of your 
paste and chocolate affairs,” and when they all 
appeared at the breakfast table they found before 
each place a little nest in which were two eggs 
daintily decorated by Nona’s clever fingers. 

Jim took up one gingerly. “ What artistic 
hens you have,” he said. “ You surely don’t ex- 
pect us to eat these?” 

“ That is as you choose,” Nona told him, “ but 
if you prefer a plainer and fresher variety they 
will be forthcoming from the kitchen.” 

“ Oh, we’ll keep these, of course,” said Mar- 
garet ; “ they are too pretty for anything ; hand- 
painted, as the shop-girls would tell us.” 

“ That reminds me of a seamstress we had here 
last fall,” said Nona. “ She wanted to know if 
my grandfather’s portrait was hand-painted and 
if the frame were solid gold or plated. Who is 
going to church this morning?” 


268 


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“ Why all of us, of course,” replied Margaret. 

“ Then come into the garden, Maud, and we’ll 
gather some daffy-down-dillys to wear. They 
are such dear, sunshiny things; I love them.” 
But they dallied so long at table that no one 
seemed to have time to gather the blossoms but 
Julian and Nona. 

“ Let me get those you will wear,” said Julian. 

Nona laughed. “ Very well, Mr. Sentimental, 
go ahead.” 

“ Won’t you get me some little thing for my 
buttonhole? ” 

“ Why yes, if you like. Grandma will spare 
you a few of her precious violets, I know; they 
are round on the south side of the house under 
the frames. I’ll go get you some while you are 
gathering these.” She left him, returning in a 
few minutes with a tiny bunch of sweet violets 
which she presented in due form. 

“ Please pin them on my coat,” said Julian, 
and Nona obeyed. 

At this moment Maurice appeared on the 
porch. “ Is that where you get the flowers ? ” he 
said. “ May I come, too ? ” 


AN EASTER PARTY 


269 


“Certainly/’ answered Nona; “come right 
along.” 

“ I thought I’d like to gather a few for Ada,” 
said Maurice ; “ she won’t have time to gather 
them for herself.” 

“ Take all you want,” Nona told him. “ I 
have only Margaret to think of, it seems.” But 
she had hardly begun to gather Margaret’s daf- 
fodils when Jim came sauntering out. 

“ I say,” he said, “ let me get some for some- 
body, too.” 

“ There is only Margaret to be provided for,” 
Nona told him with a little twinkle of the eye. 
“ Julian is getting mine and Maurice has some 
for Ada; I am sorry you have no choice in the 
matter for I don’t believe grandma will care to 
carry anything so bright as daffodils.” Jim did 
not heed her teasing remarks but busied himself 
in gathering the flowers. Nona mounted the 
steps and stood there laughingly watching the 
three who gravely added flower to flower. See- 
ing her grandmother at the window she ran in 
and joined her. “ Isn’t that a pretty sight? ” she 
said. “ Look at those three devoted swains. 


270 


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What shall I get you, grandma? Oh, I know.” 
She ran out again, but as she went down the path 
toward the gate she met a boy bearing a box. 

“ Miss Nona Ridgely? ” he asked. 

“ I am Miss Ridgely.” 

“ Then this here’s for you.” 

Nona took the box and opened it then and 
there. Inside was a large bunch of trailing arbu- 
tus with Mr. Harwood’s card. The color rushed 
up to the girl’s face. Julian had noticed the mes- 
senger and now joined Nona. Jim and Maurice, 
with their hands full of flowers, went in-doors. 

Nona had slipped the card back into the box 
but stood holding the flowers. “ Some May- 
flowers some one has sent me,” she made answer. 

“ I say, that’s too bad,” said Julian crest- 
fallen ; “ now you will not want to wear mine.” 

Nona returned the flowers to the box. “ Oh, 
yes, I will,” she said. “ Thank you, Julian, I am 
going to wear yours, for you gathered them ex- 
pressly for me.” 

“ That’s awfully good of you,” he said with 
such evident sincerity that Nona for the first time 
began to believe in the reality of his feeling for 
her. 


AN EASTER PARTY 


271 


“ I’ll carry them in the other way,” she said, 

“ if you will get a few sprays of lilies-of-the- 
valley for grandma; there are some just over 
there.” And with the box under her arm and 
Julian’s daffodils in her hand she went around to 
the kitchen and slipped up to her room by the 
back way. Depositing the arbutus in a vase and 
hiding the card in her desk she went out to seek 
Ada and Margaret. She found them putting on 
their hats. “ You must carry extra hat-pins 
down stairs, girls,” she said, “ for you are going 
to have the novel experience of wearing Easter 
flowers that have been gathered by the hands 
that will present them to you. No roses from 
the florists, but just honest little country daffo- 
dils that come up year after year of their own 
accord.” 

“ They are twice as valuable as roses would 
have been,” said Ada with shining eyes as Mau- 
rice gave her the flowers. 

“ And I’ll love to wear anything that was gath- 
ered from Mrs. Wilson’s garden,” said Margaret 
as Jim held out to her the yellow blooms. 

“ Even if it should happen to be a bunch of 


272 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


onions ?” asked Jim. And Margaret imme- 
diately turned her back upon him. 

“ We will look like a bushel of sunshine when 
we walk into church,” said Nona laughing as she 
saw the array of daffodils. “ But then there 
can’t be too much sunshine for Easter and we 
needn’t sit side by side; some of us can go into 
Graham’s pew since he and Sylvia are away.” 

After service they encountered Mr. Harwood 
at the church door. He glanced quickly at 
Nona’s daffodils, but she kept her head turned 
toward Julian. “ You are coming out to dine 
with us, you know, Mr. Harwood,” said Mrs. 
Wilson. 

“ Indeed I am. I have been looking forward 
to the pleasure ever since I received your kind 
note. May I take some one with me in my 
buggy? Miss Nona, will you go? ” 

“ Oh, I must drive,” said Nona. “ No one can 
get such speed out of old Barney as I can.” 

“ Then, Mrs. Wilson, may I have the pleasure 
of your company? ” Mrs. Wilson took in the sit- 
uation ; the others would not care to be separated 
she well knew, so she allowed herself to be helped 
into the buggy and was home long before the 
others whose steeds were anything but swift. 


CHAPTER XVI 

WHAT THE FOREST DID 

Nona ignored Mr. Harwood almost entirely, 
though she found occasion to thank him for his 
flowers. “ If he thinks he can be Miss Patter- 
son’s devoted admirer one day and mine the 
next, he is mistaken,” she said to herself. And 
so Julian found her unusually sweet and con- 
siderate, while Mr. Harwood looked on and be- 
lieved his cause lost. Even Mrs. Wilson used 
some diplomacy in keeping him away from Nona 
and made one or two remarks which led him to 
believe that Julian was in high favor. Mrs. Wil- 
son had not forgotten Nona’s proud look when 
she told her grandmother of Mr. Harwood’s at- 
tentions to Sylvia’s friend, and the grandmother 
had said to herself : “ My girl shall not stand 

such things; the young man needs a lesson and 
he shall have it.” And so it was Julian who 

played Nona’s accompaniment when she sang; it 
273 


274 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


was Julian’s flowers she wore, and it was Julian 
with whom she took a long walk that Easter aft- 
ernoon. When she returned Mr. Harwood had 
departed and Mrs. Wilson was alone ; the others, 
having followed Nona’s example, had gone to 
the woods. 

“ Did you enjoy your walk?” asked Nona’s 
grandmother as she came into the sitting-room. 

“ Yes, grandma; it is a lovely day and just 
right for walking.” 

“ Where is Mr. North?” 

“ He is on the porch taking a smoke.” 

“ Mr. Harwood did not stay.” 

“ No? ” Then after a pause, Nona said, “ He 
sent me some flowers this morning; some trailing 
arbutus, a big bunch.” 

“ And you did not wear it? ” 

“ No, I didn’t want to. I preferred to wear 
what Julian gathered.” 

“ Take care, Nona; don’t be too kind to Julian 
unless you mean it honestly.” 

Nona perched herself on the arm of the chair 
in which her grandmother had seated herself. 
“ I’m not too nice. He knows just how I feel. 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


275 


He ought to, for I have told him often enough. 
We are good comrades and that is all. Don't 
bother about Julian, grandma; he will be in love 
many more times before he marries." 

“ But Margaret says he has never devoted 
himself so steadily to any other girl." 

“ That's because I won’t let him say foolish 
things to me, and it is a really good honest 
friendship." 

“ And Mr. Harwood’s is not a good honest 
friendship? " 

“ It isn't an honest anything, and never can 
be, so what is the use of trying to make it so ? " 
Nona slapped her gloves together impatiently. 

“ But, Nona, I am sure — Oh, my dear, if you 
could have seen the look he gave you to-day when 
he thought no one saw. If ever a man cared — " 

“ No, no," Nona interrupted her sharply, “ it 
can never be, grandma. If he grovelled in the 
dust at my feet and if I wept my eyes out for him 
it could never be." 

“ But, Nona, why? There is nothing in the 
world against Mr. Harwood. He is a man of 
fine character, of ability, and by no means a pau- 


276 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


per. If he honestly cares for you, believes in you, 
why cannot you respond ? ” 

“ Ah, but he does not believe in me/’ Nona 
went on, and was suddenly silent, troubled at her 
incautious speech. 

“ Why, Nona ! Ah, child, there is something 
more here than you will tell. Won’t you trust 
your granny? Old heads are sometimes wiser 
than young ones.” 

Nona laid her cheek against her grandmother’s. 
“ Dear grandy, I would tell if I could, but it is 
not my secret. There, let us talk of something 
else. Do you know what Margie said? She 
thinks I ought certainly to spend half the year 
with you and half with Sylvia and by degrees to 
increase your share of the time and decrease Syl- 
via’s.” 

“ Margaret is a girl of good sense,” said Mrs. 
Wilson decidedly. 

“ She is a darling.” 

“ How should you like to have her stay on and 
make us a longer visit. Would she care to? ” 

“ She’d enjoy it, I know, and so should I.” 

“ Then we’ll ask her.” Mrs. Wilson gave a 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


277 


satisfied smile. This was a sure means of keep- 
ing Nona. 

“ It is too bad that Maurice and Jim have to 
go back Tuesday night,” Nona went on. “ Don’t 
you like them all, grandma ? ” 

“ Yes, and Margaret the best.” 

“ I am so glad, for she is my very dearest 
friend, and I wanted you to like her. She thinks 
you are fine.” 

“ She doesn’t know me,” laughed Mrs. Wilson. 
“ I’ve kept my claws pretty well hidden these last 
two or three days. I am afraid I will surprise 
her some of these times. One never stops mak- 
ing mistakes, Nona,” she added gravely. “ It 
doesn’t do to set up your opinion with too much 
force, nor to shut yourself away from pleasant 
influences, nor to believe yours are the only rights 
in the world to be considered. For so many 
years I have felt bitterly toward your father be- 
cause he took a second wife and I have extended 
my dislike to all the members of his family ex- 
cept yourself; it was a harsh and foolish thing 
to do. I was not right. These young people are 
doing me good and are teaching me justice. I 


278 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


have learned much from Mr. Harwood since he 
has been coming here, and next here come your 
cousins and these other friends of yours who, by 
their perfectly natural and unprejudiced talk, have 
shown me several things I ought to have known 
long ago. Oh, yes, Nona, I have made no mis- 
take in that direction ; I was right in asking them 
to come. I may even have a good word for Syl- 
via yet, who knows ? ” she concluded with a laugh. 

Nona laughed, too. “ You don’t mean half 
you say about Sylvia; I have found that out. I 
know what you mean about the mistakes; I am 
beginning to have less confidence, for where you 
have been too suspicious I have been too trustful 
so. that I was in danger of becoming a Nona- 
entity, but I shall assert myself now, grandma, 
you will see ; I have already begun it and neither 
Sylvia nor you will find me a meek-spirited 
maiden hereafter. There, the girls have come; 
I hear them. This was a nice Easter talk, 
grandy.” She gave her a kiss and went out to 
meet the others. Jim and Maurice tarried on the 
porch with Julian, Ada went directly to her room, 
while Margaret lingered below stairs. 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


279 


“ We had the loveliest walk,” she said, “ and 
we found ever so many dear little wild flowers. 
It does make one feel so Eastery to go out into 
the woods, and it makes one so — so — I don’t 
know exactly what, but as if you couldn’t do any 
pretending or be anything but just your honest 
self under those great trees. I am afraid I should 
do something rash if I took that walk with Jim 
very often,” she concluded with a half embar- 
rassed laugh. 

“ Why rash ?” asked Nona. 

“ It seems a little that way. Jim began to 
say sentimental things, something he doesn’t often 
do, and I didn’t stop him as I always do, and so 
— so — you see if I hadn’t suddenly come to a 
realizing sense of what it was drifting into there 
is no telling what would have happened. I don’t 
want anything to happen in just that way, when 
one is under the influence of all such romantic 
things ; I want to be sure of myself under the most 
prosaic circumstances and then I’ll know it is good 
and solid.” 

Nona laughed. “ That is sound sense, Margie, 
and when the time comes may I be on hand to 


280 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


hear it. By the way, grandma and I want you 
to stay on and make us a longer visit. Can you ? 
Will you?” 

“ You may believe I can and will. I think she 
is a darling, as I said at first. You will not be 
going back to Sylvia’s then? ” 

“ Of course not while you are here. Won’t 
we have cosy times ? ” 

“We will indeed.” 

“ Where is Ada?” 

“ She went up to change her dress. I must 
go, too ; my boots are muddy. Come on up with 
me, Nona.” They mounted the stairs, stopping 
at Ada’s door which was shut. “ Nearly ready, 
Ada ? ” called Margaret, giving a tap. 

There was a muffled answer and the girls out- 
side went on to their own room. Presently Ada 
appeared in a pale blue dress, her dark eyes soft 
and luminous, a tremulous little smile playing 
around her mouth. 

Margaret looked at her for a moment. “ Why, 
Ada,” she said, “ you look like an Easter decora- 
tion, or a choir of angels or golden harps or some- 
thing ecstatic. Ada ! ” She caught her in her 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


281 


arms. “ Did that walk in the woods get the best 
of you? ” 

Ada blushed and gave Margaret a mighty hug. 
“ Oh, Margie, do you mind ? Shall you like me 
just as well when I am — Oh, Margie — yes — 
I — Maurice — ” 

“ Enough,” cried Margaret ; “ I understand. 
Bless you, my child. I always have wanted a 
sister, and as long as it wouldn’t be proper for 
first cousins to marry and I can’t have Nona, I’ll 
be glad to take you and thank you, ma’am. Nona, 
allow me to present my sister-in-law, Mrs. Mau- 
rice Foster.” 

Nona came forward and gave Ada a kiss. 
“ You dear girl,” she said, “ I am so glad of this ; 
I’d hate to have Maurice marry a stranger, and 
we all have been hoping for this and expecting 
it.” 

“ Oh, have you ?” said Ada innocently. “How 
could you ? ” At which both of the other girls 
laughed and they all went down stairs together. 

Then came a great time with congratulations 
and chaffings and such. Maurice had already ac- 
quainted Julian and Jim with the state of affairs, 


282 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


and Mrs. Wilson when told, said they must cele- 
brate the event by a specially adorned supper- 
table, so all her old silver was brought out, her 
violet bed was robbed of all its newly opened 
violets, and the meal was made quite a state af- 
fair. 

“ Where is cousin Ran? ” asked Ada. 

“ He had promised to take supper with the 
Duvalls,” Mrs. Wilson said, “ and I could not 
persuade him to stay.” 

The evening was a happy one for all of them. 
First they sang Easter hymns, and then Nona and 
Julian turned to the oratorio of “ The Messiah ” 
which both loved and which Julian played well. 
In the library Maurice and Ada talked in low 
murmurs ; Jim and Margaret joined Mrs. Wilson 
in the sitting-room, preferring the open fire and 
the bright talk of the old lady to the music, of 
which after a while they tired. 

At bed-time Ada lifted her face to Mrs. Wil- 
son for a kiss. “ I am so happy,” she whispered. 
“ Dear Mrs. Wilson, you don’t know how happy 
my coming here has made me. I shall never, 
never forget this day.” 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


283 


Mrs. Wilson’s eyes were very tender as she 
kissed her. “ Good-night, dear child,” she said 
gently ; “ I think we are all happier because of 
your happiness.” 

After she was ready for bed Margaret put 
on a wrapper and pattered into Ada’s room where 
the two whispered together for a long time. 
Nona took her May-flowers from their vase and 
looked at them thoughtfully, then her eyes filled 
with tears and she dropped a light kiss on the 
sweet blossoms. “ Oh, you dear little things,” 
she murmured, “ I could have been happy, too, 
maybe, and now I never will be; never, never; 
it is no use; it is just as hard now as it ever 
was. I believe it grows harder.” She set back 
the flowers into their vase and put them outside 
the window on the sill, all but one tiny sprig 
which she fastened to her night-dress, and whose 
subtle, faint odor was her last waking solace. 

The next day Nona and Julian insisted upon 
photographing the newly engaged couple in all 
sorts of lights and poses, and having fallen un- 
der the spell of the camera they started forth for 
fresh subjects. There was enough of the quaint 


284 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


and picturesque in the neighborhood to satisfy 
Julian’s wish for something artistic, whether it 
was a little ragamuffin who called out, “ Take 
me off, lady ” ; whether it was an old gray-headed 
darkey with a bunch of faggots on his back, or 
whether it was a bit of winding river and a sail- 
boat drifting idly along. 

“ The more you take the more you find,” said 
Julian. “ I never saw such a place; you stumble 
upon pictures at every turn. My camera was 
loaded with a dozen films when we came out and 
I have used every one. I know Ada will revel 
in those we took this morning; I wish we knew 
just where they were when the great matter was 
settled ; I’d take a photograph of the spot.” 

“ I know,” Nona told him ; “ we are coming to 
the woods now.” She remembered Margaret’s 
speech about the effect of the woods upon her 
and Jim, and she talked in her lightest vein 
when they entered the silent forest. 

“ It’s no wonder,” said Julian, standing still 
and looking about him, “ that this takes hold of a 
fellow.” He was silent for a moment, and then 
he turned to his companion. “ Don’t you think 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


265 


I have been uncommonly good these past days, 
Miss Nona? I’ve not been sentimental once, ex- 
cept when I wanted to gather you the flowers. 
I’m beginning to believe this is the real thing. I 
don’t seem to care about fooling the way I used 
to. When I meet a pretty girl and begin to say 
soft things to her I feel like a fool and I always 
think of you directly.” 

“ Oh, Julian,” exclaimed Nona in mock dis- 
tress, “ you think of me and directly you feel like 
a fool ? Do I understand the implication 
aright?” 

“ Now, Miss Nona. No, I am going to call 
you Nona, may I? You won’t care, will you? 
We shall be sort of relations, you know, when 
my sister becomes your cousin.” 

“ That is true. Well, I don’t mind. I’ve been 
calling you by your first name this long while.” 

“ Well, as I was saying, I do think of you and 
it keeps me from lots of foolishness. A really 
fine girl doesn’t know how much foolishness she 
can keep a man from doing. He feels sort of 
ashamed of being less than she wants him to be, 
and he wants to be worthy of her respect and all 
that. It is so, and you can laugh at it or not.” 


286 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ I’m not laughing,” said Nona very seriously. 
“ I didn’t know, but I am glad if you do feel that 
way, Julian, and I am your really honest, true 
friend, you know that.” 

“ I believe that, and there’s not another girl 
who would have said the things you have said 
to me, and have stirred up this desire to — to — ” 

“ To stop fooling and be the good, sincere man 
you ought to be and can be.” 

“ Yes, that is it. Nona, I believe I’ll be hard 
hit if this goes on; I truly do.” 

Nona looked distressed. She did not wish to 
lose her influence over the lad and yet she could 
not encourage him. “ You mustn’t let yourself 
be hard hit, and you must be good for the sake of 
the goodness and not for my sake.” 

“ I know, but you said yourself that a fellow 
couldn’t help it if it were the real thing.” 

“ I remember that I said that, but you are very 
young yet, Julian, and you have your studies to 
think of and your future career and all that. 
When you leave college it will be time enough for 
you to say what you think ; in the meantime let us 
keep on being really good, true friends. I’ll do all 
I can to keep my end up.” 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


287 


“ I know that well enough ; you don’t feel as I 
do, not the least little bit, I am afraid. I thought 
yesterday that maybe you did, for you wore my 
flowers instead of the other fellow’s, whoever he 
is.” 

“ Oh ! ” Nona gave a sharp little expostula- 
tory cry. She had been more than usually kind 
to him, and had sacrificed him to her own ends, 
she realized that now. “ I don’t believe I do 
feel as you do,” she said honestly, “ but I like you 
immensely, Julian, and we must always be fast 
friends.” 

“So we. will,” returned Julian, “and if you 
never do care except in the way you do now, I’m 
not such a duffer as to drop you and all that; 
I’ll be proud of your friendship to the end of my 
life.” 

This was all very sweet to the girl, a very balm 
to her after that other affair into which no such 
sweet approval entered, and when Julian bent his 
head and kissed her hand, she felt a little thrill 
which made her wonder whether, after all, she 
might not some day give him the love he asked. 
She was rather subdued for the rest of the day; 


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the sensation of having been suddenly set up 
as a guiding star in a young man’s sky was not an 
unpleasant one; it was vastly more agreeable to 
be considered a saint than a sinner. 

The next day was rainy, and the whole com- 
pany stayed in-doors. This was no trial to Ada 
and Maurice, for the house abounded in pleasant 
nooks where one could read or talk undisturbed. 
Indeed, nobody appeared to mind the weather. 
Julian and Nona developed their films in a cor- 
ner of the attic which they made sufficiently dark 
for the purpose, and there was a great candy- 
making in the afternoon, Jim and Margaret being 
the ones to volunteer to drive into town for the 
purpose of getting the required materials. They 
came back full of fun and laden down with pack- 
ages of peanuts, walnuts, sugar and such things. 

“ We saw Mr. Harwood in town,” said Mar- 
garet, “ and he looked as if he had lost his last 
friend. Does a rainy day always affect him so? 
We thought it was fine. Get the boys, Nona, and 
make them shell the peanuts.” 

“ They’ll eat half of them,” said prudent Nona. 

“ Never mind if they do,” returned Margaret, 


WHAT THE FOREST DID 


289 


“then they’ll not eat so much of the candy; be- 
sides there are plenty of nuts and it will be more 
fun if we make them help.” 

They did not dare to invade Aunt Hannah’s 
domain, but used a kerosene stove in the dining- 
room and made a great time of their frolic. 
“ Did you ever see such a looking place,” said 
Margaret when the last pan of candy was set 
aside to cool. “We must clear up the mess be- 
fore supper. Who dares to take the peanut shells 
out into the kitchen ? ” 

“Nonsense; they needn’t go there,” said Jim. 
“ What’s the matter with the sitting-room fire ? 
Dump them in there; they will make a fine blaze.” 

“ So they will, but all these pots and pans and 
bowls must be put out of the way.” 

“ Kitty will attend to them,” said Nona. “ If 
we give her plenty of candy she will do anything; 
we needn’t bother with those. Dear me, I feel as 
if I never wanted to see another peanut. We’ll 
never be able to eat any supper.” 

“ Oh yes, we will,” said Jim cheerfully. “ You 
all haven’t been out to-day; you ought to have 
some exercise.” 


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“ Exercise ? Haven’t we been stirring and 
mixing and fussing over this stuff ? ” returned 
Margaret. “ Oh, Nona, we might go up into the 
attic and play some foolish game like hide and 
seek; that would be fun and give us exercise, 
too.” 

At this they all started pell-mell up the stairs, 
the obliging Kitty having promised to tidy up the 
dining-room when Nona bribed her with a 
heaped-up saucer of candy. As the scampering 
feet went flying up to the attic Mrs. Wilson laid 
down her work and listened, with a smile upon 
her face ; then she sighed. “ I never knew what 
a quiet house it was till now,” she thought ; “ it 
does me good to hear those youngsters. Nona 
shall have all the company she wants, if that will 
keep her here.” 

The night train took Maurice and Jim away, 
but the others remained. At the end of the week 
Ada and Julian also took their leave, Margaret 
alone remaining behind. So when Sylvia re- 
turned home bringing Ethel Patterson with her, 
she found Nona established at her grandmother’s 
with no intention of taking her departure while 
Margaret kept her company. 



Playing Hide and Seek 



























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f. 

































































4 










' . . * 1 * 
















CHAPTER XVII 
Nona’s rival 

“ It seems rather quiet, doesn’t it ? ” said Nona 
as Margaret and she settled themselves in the sit- 
ting-room after they had come home from seeing 
Ada and Julian to the station. “ That is the 
worst of having a houseful; you miss them so 
dreadfully when they are gone. What should I 
have done without you, Margie?” 

“ I am glad I could stay,” Margaret returned, 
contentedly looking into the fire. “ I feel so at 
home in this old house, and yet I have never been 
here since I was a mite of a child, until this visit. 
I remember coming here then with Sylvia and 
your mother and you were here, and insisted upon 
washing my face, much to my disgust.” 

Nona laughed. “ I don’t remember that, but 
it was quite characteristic, for I was given to 
dabbling in water and I have more visions of 
soaked frocks than of any other calamity. Speak- 

291 


292 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


ing of dabbling in water, I am going to try to 
make some water-color sketches, using the motifs 
that Julian found for his photographs; he has a 
real genius for good composition and I don’t 
know much about that yet.” 

“ I verily believe you and Julian will soon fol- 
low the example of Maurice and Ada.” 

“ Not a bit of it ; you needn’t make up any 
pretty little romance about us, for it will be no 
use.” 

“ But he does improve, and it is plain to see 
whose influence is at work. You mustn’t trifle 
with his young affections, Nona.” 

“ His young affections will stand a consider- 
able amount of trifling,” Nona returned lightly. 
“ Do you suppose Ada and Maurice will marry 
soon ? ” 

“ Oh dear, no ; not for a year or two any- 
how. I really didn’t think Maurice would settle 
matters now, but he says the woods were too 
much for him, just as they came near being for 
me. I think he has always liked Ada ever since 
she first came to Fairington to live, but I used to 
be afraid that it was only a passing fancy on his 


NONA’S RIVAL 


293 


part and a more serious matter to Ada. Maurice 
is a good fellow, but he is not above the ordinary 
masculine weaknesses.” 

“ How sagely you talk,” laughed Nona. 
“ Now if I had a brother I suppose I should 
never admit that he had a fault and I should 
fairly worship him.” 

“ Of course you would, just as you adore Syl- 
via. She certainly is a beauty, but she is not half 
as lovable as you are, to my thinking, and that 
is where your grandmother and I agree.” 

“ Nonsense ! that’s because neither of you know 
Sylvia as I do. She has the most fetching ways 
and-—” 

“ Can wheedle you into doing anything. I 
know that.” 

“ That isn’t what I was going to say.” 

“ Very likely not.” 

“ She is much more demonstrative than I, and 
always has some sweet thing to say to anyone 
who comes in, and always sends off her visitors 
feeling comfortable, while I am likely to blurt 
out some unpleasant truth which rubs some one 
the wrong way.” 


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TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ I don’t care ; I’d rather have your sincerity 
any day.” 

“ But it doesn’t make me as popular as Syl- 
via.” 

“ It does where persons know you well ; I’d 
rather be trusted than admired.” 

“ So would I,” sighed Nona, at once pensively 
beginning to poke the fire. “ You will meet Ethel 
Patterson to-morrow when we go to Sylvia’s to 
lunch. I wonder how you will like her.” 

“ Is she very attractive? ” ' 

“ I don’t know her very well, but — ” 

“ That speaks volumes. Is she pretty ? ” 

“ Not exactly. Handsome rather than pretty. 
She is quite a foil to Sylvia, for she is dark. She 
dresses in a bizarre sort of way which reminds 
you of an Indian princess. She wears clinging 
stuffs and Oriental scarfs and queer jingling 
chains and bracelets, and she always carries a 
sandal-wood fan, and when she comes near you 
there is a faint, odd perfume that you can’t de- 
fine.” 

“ I should think she would be rather interest- 
ing.” 


NONA'S RIVAL 


295 


“ Sylvia finds her so, but — ” 

“ That but again. Tell me Nona what it 
means.” 

“ It doesn’t mean anything in particular. I 
don’t like to criticize; it wouldn’t be right, you 
know.” 

“ Just tell me your impression.” 

“ I’ll wait till you have seen her and then you 
can tell me what you think and we’ll see if we 
agree.” She was silent for a moment, meantime 
making hieroglyphics in the ashes. “ Mr. Har- 
wood is very devoted to her, you know,” she said 
at last. “ At least Sylvia said he paid her a great 
deal of attention while I was in New York.” 

“ Why, Nona, I thought he was your special 
cavalier. I am positive he sent you that trailing 
arbutus at Easter.” 

“ What makes you think so ? ” 

“ Oh, I put this and that together. I don’t be- 
lieve he is in love with Miss Patterson.” 

“ Why?” 

“ Oh, because — I don’t. I have eyes to see 
with and ears to hear with, and if you treated him 
half decently you would see, too. If he did de- 


296 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


vote himself to Miss Patterson it was very likely 
because he wanted to make you jealous.” 

“ Oh no, you are wrong ; he used to know her 
when they were younger, before he came here to 
live. Sylvia thinks that is why he came; be- 
cause she had jilted him.” 

“ I think that is far-fetched. We know he 
came because he and Bennett Duvall had always 
planned to go into partnership, and if he was so 
cut up about Miss Patterson why is he devoted 
to her now? If she jilted him I don't think he 
is the man to go back to her. Isn’t it funny, 
Nona, how Maurice’s marriage will connect us all 
more closely with these people, and if you were 
to marry Julian it would be closer still. You 
would be Mr. Harwood’s cousin.” 

Nona made no reply. Julian was not in her 
thoughts just then. She rather dreaded the next 
day’s luncheon, but with Margaret as a support 
she was ready to face it. “ Some persons shut 
me up just like a clam, and Ethel Patterson is 
one of them,” she told her cousin ; “ she has a 
way of monopolizing the conversation and yet she 
is the most frothy sort of person ; what she says 


NONA’S RIVAL 


297 


amounts to absolutely nothing, but she makes it 
seem important by her way of saying it. If she 
tells you that she crossed the street she does it in 
such a way that you hold your breath till she is 
safely over.” 

Margaret laughed. “ She'll not monopolize 
the conversation if I am around, do you think ? ” 

“ Not if you carry out your usual programme, 
but I warn you that Miss Patterson is very sensa- 
tional and must have excitement even if she 
creates it for nobody but herself. You can’t help 
laughing at her sometimes, for she does often say 
very audacious, funny things. There, I have dis- 
cussed her enough. I’ll leave the rest to your 
perceptions.” 

Margaret was quite curious to meet Miss Pat- 
terson, and she was determined that whatever 
happened Nona should not be made to appear to 
disadvantage. “ Put on your prettiest gown,” 
she said. “ Let me see, what shall it be? ” 

“ Not the gray silk? ” 

“ No, it will not be impressive enough. That 
soft green with the white fixings, I think. You 
look dear in that. I’ll do the sash for you in the 


298 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


very latest style. Puff your hair a little more 
and — noi, I think it will be better just that way. 
Your eyes look like two deep wells of water; they 
reflect all sorts of colors ; they are changeful and 
yet so steady, and you have the sweetest mouth 
in the world.” 

“ You flatterer, don’t talk so! ” 

“ That is the strict truth, and no flattery at all.” 
Margaret was bound to arouse all Nona’s self- 
esteem on this occasion, and truly the girl did 
look her best, graceful, high-bred and sweet. 

Sylvia received the girls with much effusion. 
“ I am so glad you were able to get here,” she 
said. “ I was afraid it would rain or that some- 
thing would happen to prevent your coming. We 
mustn’t feel like strangers to each other, Margie, 
even if we haven’t seen much of one another since 
we grew up. I want you to meet Ethel; she is 
such a friend of mine and I know you will like 
her. How sweet you look in that frock. Why, 
Nona, you are quite dressed up. I am glad you 
cared to do Ethel and me so much honor. Emily 
is coming and Louise Snowden, too, but there 
are no formalities for we are all old friends.” 


NONA’S RIVAL 


299 


She ushered the girls into the library where 
Miss Patterson sat. This young woman was, as 
Nona had said, rather bizarre in appearance. 
Her gown of soft gold-colored silk was made in 
some unique fashion with flowing sleeves and Per- 
sian trimmings ; a chain encircled her waist, and 
from it hung a sandal- wood fan, a vinaigrette of 
curious form and several other pendants. She 
wore heavy rings and bracelets of queer design, 
and the embroidered scarf which hung on the 
chair beside her was evidently a part of her cos- 
tume. Her voice was not unpleasant, but she 
spoke quickly and excitedly even upon trivial sub- 
jects. She greeted Margaret with warmth but 
paid little attention to Nona who involuntarily 
kept in the background. 

But it was plain to see that Margaret would 
have none of that. “ What a dear little home you 
have, Sylvia/' she said, “ and how plain to see 
Nona's hand in everything. Isn’t it fine to have 
such a clever sister? There doesn't seem to be 
anything she can't do. Did you ever hear Nona 
sing, Miss Patterson? Her voice is lovely, and 
— oh yes, that is one of those little sketches you 


300 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


did at Fairington last summer ; I thought I recog- 
nized it. Nona is so modest; look how she is 
blushing. Dear me, if I were half as clever as she 
is I’d blazon it abroad.” 

“ She is a clever dear,” responded Sylvia 
sweetly. “ I do miss her so whenever she is 
away.” 

And then Miss Patterson broke in with : “ Did 
I ever show you that little sketch Miss Woods 
made for me, Sylvia? It is perfectly charming, 
but then Miss Woods is a real artist ; her last work 
at the Salon was so much admired.” It was one 
of Miss Patterson’s peculiarities that she was sure 
to know some one who knew more or did better 
or had more than the person of whom you were 
telling her. 

“ I’ve seen Miss Woods’ work,” said Margaret 
nonchalantly. “ I don’t think so much of it, es- 
pecially when it is that of a person who has 
studied all her life. Nona could out-do her in no 
time if she were to study seriously.” 

Miss Patterson lifted her eyebrows and gave 
Margaret a little surprised and haughty stare 
which that young person answered with her 


NONA’S RIVAL 


301 


sweetest smile and with a quick turn of her head. 
“ Do you see a spider or something, Miss Patter- 
son ? ” she asked. But that young lady was 
spared an answer by the entrance of Emily Duvall 
and Louise Snowden, and though for the rest of 
the time Miss Patterson won the race in talking, 
Margaret was a close second, and more than once 
silenced Nona’s rival. As for Nona she had never 
been made to appear such a combination of wit, 
wisdom, and fascination as by Margaret, and Syl- 
via’s quiet sister in the role of a genius and a 
belle was something for which Miss Patterson 
was not prepared. 

Yet the young woman did not lose her chances 
of trying to make Nona aware of the effect of her 
charms upon Randolph Harwood, whom she had 
reason to suspect was an admirer of Nona’s. Un- 
der pretext of showing something to her, she car- 
ried Nona off to her room, laughingly telling the 
others they need not follow. “ You are so clever 
I wonder if you can tell me who painted this, the 
original, I mean,” and she took a small colored 
picture from her dressing table. “ I picked it 
Up down town the other day, for I admired it, al- 


303 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


though it is only a reproduction, and Mr. Har- 
wood and I had quite a discussion over it last 
night.” 

Nona looked at the picture and then turned it 
over. “ The name of the artist is on the back,” 
she said and calmly laid the picture down. 

“ How stupid of me,” said Miss Patterson in 
some confusion ; “ I never thought of looking 
there. You know Mr. Harwood quite well, don’t 
you? We are old, old friends. I have known 
him all my life and he is just as charming a man 
as he was a boy. I wonder if you would be in- 
terested in seeing some photographs I have of 
him, taken when he was at college. There is 
such a funny one, taken when he was sixteen.” 
The photographs in question were evidently with- 
in easy reach, for Miss Patterson was not long in 
producing them. 

Nona looked at them carelessly. “ He has not 
changed much,” she said. 

Miss Patterson regarded each picture earnestly. 
“ No, he is not one to change,” she said with 
meaning. “ I have every reason to know that. 
I suppose you see him very often, Miss Nona.” 


NONA’S RIVAL 


303 


But they were interrupted by a merry laugh. 
“ I said I was coming ; I was not going to be shut 
out and I told Sylvia I wanted to see all the house, 
so she let me come. This is the room you have 
always had, isn’t it, Nona? It has a good view 
from the windows. Oh, photographs, may I 
see? ” 

Miss Patterson had unwillingly invited her tQ 
enter, but rather ostentatiously had left the pho- 
tographs lying face up. “ You may see,” she 
said smiling. “ I think you probably know the 
original.” 

“ Oh yes, Randolph Harwood. I easily recog- 
nize them. Do you know he is to be a sort of 
cousin to us, for my brother’s engagement to his 
cousin, Ada North, is just announced, and we 
shall probably see a good deal of Mr. Harwood 
in the future. These are not as good as those 
photographs you have of him, Nona.” 

“ Which ones ? ” she asked innocently. 

“ Why those that were taken at Fairington last 
summer when he came there to see you. Mercy ! 
I suppose you have so many that you can't re- 
member which I mean.” The photographs in 


304 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


question were snap-shots which Julian had taken 
and which included the others of the party, 
though they showed a really excellent likeness of 
Mr. Harwood. Nona did not like to explain and 
therefore made no response. 

Miss Patterson flung the photographs into a 
drawer. “ Let us go down,” she proposed. “ I 
have not heard Miss Nona sing.” 

“ You should have heard her last Sunday,” said 
Margaret ; “ she quite outdid herself. Do you 
remember that night last summer, Nona, when 
you and Mr. Harwood sang that same oratorio 
and Julian played your accompaniment? I shall 
never forget that evening; everyone said your 
voices accorded so well. It was quite pathetic, 
Miss Patterson, to see how Nona was badgered 
by those two men, and she was always so sweet 
and accommodating, and never saw that what 
they were really working for was to get her off 
to themselves. You would not believe what a 
stir she made among our friends, she is such a 
mouse at home.” 

Miss Patterson made no reply, but as they fol- 
lowed her down stairs Margaret made a little 


NONA’S RIVAL 


305 


mouth at Nona, over her shoulder, and Nona 
smiled. She was afraid Margaret was carrying 
her zeal too far, though she was grateful for the 
championship. 

As it happened Mrs. Wilson had asked Mr. 
Harwood to supper that very evening and this 
fact Margaret determined should not be hidden, 
so she made it an excuse for a rather early de- 
parture, going off with honeyed words to Sylvia 
but leaving a little sting in her last remark to 
Miss Patterson. 

“ Oh you bad child, ” said Nona when they were 
safely out of hearing. “ How you did act ! Syl- 
via was dumbfounded and kept looking at me as 
if she had just discovered my existence, and 
Emily Duvall was so amused, while Miss Pat- 
terson will simply abhor me.” 

“ Well, suppose she should; she probably did 
before,” said Margaret coolly. 

“ What made you say that about those photo- 
graphs ? They were not mine especially, neither 
were they solely of Mr. Harwood.” 

“ What I said was perfectly true; they are 
much better than those she has. The horrid 


306 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


thing ! All she took you up there for was to show 
you those. I don’t believe she has one taken 
within the last six years. What did she make 
as an excuse to get you up there ? ” 

“ She had a picture and asked if I knew the 
name of the artist.” 

“ Did you?” 

“ I did after I looked on the back of it.” 

“ Nona! Wasn’t that a flimsy excuse? ” 

“ Well, what do you think of my rival? ” 

“ I think she is shallow, and insincere and 
vain.” 

“ Really?” 

“ Yes, all that and more, too. Was that what 
the but meant ? ” 

“ Yes, just that.” 

“ Is she going to stay long in town ? ” 

“ Not very; a week, I believe.” 

“ I don’t blame you for admiring Sylvia, for 
she really has very taking ways and is so pretty. 
I suspect I did astonish her, but I am glad I 
could and that I could show them all what we 
think of you, and how popular you are when you 
get away with us. I believe,” she went on after 


NONA’S RIVAL 


307 


a pause, “ that down here they value a pretty face 
more than anything else, while further north they 
rate one’s acquirements as among the personal 
charms. I find that to be young and pretty is 
what they expect of a girl who would charm, but 
in some other places looks don’t count for so 
much as brains and a charm of manner.” 

“ Perhaps that is so, but oh, Margie, I felt very 
foolish when you went on that way. I didn’t 
know which way to look.” 

“ It wasn’t in very good taste to praise you 
before your face, I admit, and as a rule I hate that 
sort of thing, and don’t often descend to it, but a 
girl like Miss Patterson is only to be worsted by 
the use of her own weapons. I think girls can 
be the meanest, hatefulest things, and I have a 
little contempt for myself, I must confess, when- 
ever I do meet such as Miss Patterson on her own 
grounds, but I wasn’t going to have her browbeat 
you, so I had to make the most of my opportuni- 
ties.” 

“ I think you succeeded,” said Nona laughing. 

“ Will you be nice to Mr. Harwood to-night? ” 

“ I don’t know ; maybe.” 


308 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Let me tell you one thing : I don’t believe one 
word of his being devoted to Miss Patterson. I 
questioned Sylvia while you were up-stairs and 
he has been there only once.” 

“ Are you sure? Miss Patterson said she saw 
him last night.” 

“ Then she must have met him somewhere, else, 
at Mrs. Duvall’s probably; they were all there.” 
“ Oh!” 

“ Yes, it is Oh, in more than one instance, my 
unsuspicious little dear. You must keep your 
eyes open when you are dealing with girls like 
Ethel Patterson. She will insinuate anything, 
and has made Sylvia believe a great deal more 
than there is any ground for, I’ll answer for that. 
I am not so very much smitten with Mr. Har- 
wood myself, but I am not going to see you bad- 
gered about him by that girl, and as I am begin- 
ning to think that his iciness last summer was 
your fault I am really getting up quite a sympa- 
thy for him.” 

All this had its effect upon Nona and she un- 
bent so far as to be quite natural in her manner 
that evening, and the hours passed pleasantly, 


NONA’S RIVAL 


309 


chiefly because of Margaret’s efforts. There was 
some music, and then the conversation which was 
general, was made lively by anecdote, Margaret 
leading off with some very funny tales. The 
others caught the spirit, and there were no solemn 
pauses. A week later Margaret left for home, to 
Nona’s regret. There were no more encounters 
with Miss Patterson, for she did not remain long, 
a fact which Margaret attributed to her failure in 
securing Mr. Harwood’s individual attention, 
though in this opinion Nona did not coincide. 
Sylvia urged Nona’s return as soon as Margaret 
left, but there was less heart than usual in her 
entreaties and when Nona declared her intention 
of remaining with her grandmother still longer, 
Sylvia did not oppose her very strongly. 


CHAPTER XVIII 


DRIFTING 

Having made up her mind to be less difficult 
and more sympathetic, Mrs. Wilson softened per- 
ceptibly in her manner to Sylvia, especially as now 
Nona was willing to prolong her stay. The old 
lady more than once went out of her way to meet 
Sylvia and to invite her and Graham to dinner 
or to a Sunday supper, so that it came to be quite 
a usual thing for Sylvia to drive out whenever 
she wished to see Nona specially. Sometimes she 
would carry her off for a day or two, and Nona 
really saw almost as much of her sister as when 
they were under the same roof, while she found 
that it was a happier arrangement all around. 
Since Margaret’s championship of her sister, and 
because of her cousin’s few probing questions, 
Sylvia looked upon Nona with different eyes, and 
was now quite at daggers drawn with Ethel Pat- 
terson, that young woman having shown her 
310 


DRIFTING 


311 


seamy side before she left town. And so as the 
summer approached the snarls seemed to unwind, 
all except that one in which Randolph Harwood 
was concerned. 

Once in a while Nona made some faint protest 
against remaining permanently with her grand- 
mother, but was met savagely. “ Will you tell 
me what Sylvia has ever done for you that she 
should expect any sacrifice from you ? ” Mrs. Wil- 
son would ask. 

“ It isn’t sacrifice, grandma, you know I en- 
joy being with her,” Nona replied on one occa- 
sion. 

“ And with that precious husband of hers, too, 
no doubt,” returned the old lady. “ Of course 
you enjoy playing the character of cypher. It 
puts me out of patience to see the way some peo- 
ple act, as if they were conferring a favor upon 
the universe to become merely an atom of it, and 
as if everybody and everything should succumb 
to them. They must be considered, forsooth, 
when they have never done a blessed thing to de- 
serve consideration. How many hours has Sylvia 
spent sewing for you? When has she made a 


3l2 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


sacrifice of time or pleasure for your sake ? Half 
the time she under-rates what you do for her, but 
if she gives you some little trifling present she 
spreads herself like a peacock and the whole town 
is made to believe you are a poor dependent upon 
her husband’s bounty. He will remind you of it 
yet, and tell people that he is impoverishing him- 
self by what he is doing for his wife’s family ; he 
is just that kind of man.” 

“ Oh, grandma, it couldn’t be as bad as that. 
I think I am welcome to anything except Sylvia’s 
exclusive society. I am no expense, and I cer- 
tainly give a return for what I receive.” 

“ You don’t have to give a return for what you 
receive; you have your own home here with me, 
and I do not choose to have you a dependent. You 
have a right to all that I have. And though any- 
one can see with half an eye that you earn all 
that Sylvia or her husband could give you, she 
is always blind to what she doesn’t want to see, 
and she loves to pose as Lady Bountiful.” 

“ I am sure she is always very sweet and ap- 
preciative when I do anything for her.” 

“ At the moment, yes, but she forgets it the 


DRIFTING 


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next week when it suits her to view herself in the 
light of a benefactress. Sylvia’s obligations 
never weigh heavily; you can comfort yourself 
with that. It is her way to double the value of 
anything she does and depreciate your services 
and gifts till they are mere bagatelles. She is 
much more comfortable when she adjusts things 
that way.” 

Nona felt that there was some unpleasant truth 
in this hard speech, and at last settled down with 
no thought of returning permanently to Sylvia, or 
even of staying with her more than two or three 
days at a time. 

Ethel Patterson had been more than once the 
subject of Sylvia’s complaints to Nona, for now 
that her former friend had fallen under her dis- 
pleasure all her- charms vanished in thin air, and 
this, too, altered Sylvia’s attitude toward Ran- 
dolph Harwood when she considered his relations 
to Nona. She had been perfectly willing that 
Nona should be set aside while Ethel held sway, 
but now Ethel was not good enough for him ; “she 
was insincere, selfish and would flirt with any- 
one,” so Sylvia declared. “To tell you the truth, 


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Nona,” she said, “ there never was anything at 
all in that affair with Mr. Harwood. Ethel knew 
him when she was a school girl ; he was one of her 
admirers up to the time he went to college, but 
after his freshman year I don’t believe he even 
took the trouble to call upon her. All those pho- 
tographs she has were taken at that time; I wish 
you could have seen her trying to win him back, 
not because she was in love with him but be- 
cause she cannot bear that any man should prefer 
another girl to herself. It was so apparent that 
he couldn’t help noticing, and though he did 
come here a good many times during that first 
visit of hers, it was because we made occasions 
for it, and since she was from his native town 
and was a stranger here he felt that he must show 
her some attention. This last time he called only 
once and then I specially invited him. He is 
really a very nice fellow and I would much rather 
you would marry him than that boy Julian who 
would take you away to the ends of the earth, 
maybe; ” for Nona had assured Sylvia that there 
was little hope of Julian’s settling in New York. 

All this was not without its effect upon Nona, 


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and as the summer drew near it was a very usual 
thing for Mr. Harwood to drive or walk out to 
the farm where he was sure of a welcome from 
Mrs. Wilson and from Nona, too, for love will 
have its way and the girl had ceased to struggle 
against her feelings. “ I am merely drifting, 
drifting, like those clouds,” she said to herself 
one June day as she lay in the hammock swung 
under the trees. The air was sweet with the odor 
of roses and it was a happiness simply to live. 
Just a year before, Sylvia’s marriage had taken 
place, and her husband, won by strategy, was 
still devoted. It was not an unhappy marriage, 
though not an ideal one. As for Emily and Ben- 
nett there was no mistaking the fact that they 
were made for each other, every one said. And 
so good had come of evil and no one had suffered 
greatly by Sylvia’s piece of deceit. “ I won’t 
think about it,” said the girl closing her eyes as 
if to shut away her thoughts. 

Just then Thad came up with the mail. “ Let- 
ters for you, Miss Nona,” he said, handing her 
two envelopes. 

She took them carelessly. One letter was 


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from Julian, the other from Margaret. The lat- 
ter’s was long and closely written. Nona had 
read but a few lines when she sat up and gave 
her whole attention to it. After a few prelimi- 
naries, Margaret wrote : “ Now, Nona, dear, I 

have a most important piece of news to tell you. 
You may remember that I said that I would not 
allow myself to be carried away by any set of emo- 
tions roused by romantic surroundings; well, I 
haven’t, for dear old Jim found me most pro- 
saically employed when — but I’ll tell you all 
about it. One day last week I went to Flo 
Owens’s, who, by the way, is doing very well 
and has a cunning little house over in Brooklyn ; 
it was on my S. E. day that I went over there to 
stay with Woofy and Posy and to keep house 
while Flo went out. She has no regular maid but 
some one comes in for a few hours every morning 
and she gets along very well. As I was a-saying 
— please excuse the long preamble — we were 
getting along famously, the bairnies and I, and I 
was ambitious enough to think I would have sup- 
per all ready when Flo came, so I had things siz- 
zling on the stove, and some biscuits in the oven, 


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317 


when suddenly there was a drip, drip, drip from 
overhead, and looking up I saw the ceiling was 
all wet and that something was wrong in the 
bathroom. So up I rushed and found that one 
of those little mischiefs had stuffed the holes in 
the stationary wash-basin, had filled it with 
water to sail pea-pod boats in and it was over- 
flowing and underflowing and doing all sorts of 
things. I rushed around with mops and brooms 
and anything I could lay my hands on, but still 
it kept coming through, and I was fairly wad- 
ing around the kitchen. Posy began to cry and 
Woofy wanted to know if we’d have to build an 
ark and where would we get the animals, when 
presently there came a ring at the door. I sent 
Posy to answer it and who should she bring out 
into the kitchen and into all that chaos but Jim. 

“ * Oh Jim,’ I cried, ‘ I am so glad to see you. 
What shall I do? I am afraid the ceiling will 
fall, and oh dear, the water won’t stop, and what 
shall we do? ’ ” 

“ ‘ I’ll turn off the water in the cellar first,’ he 
said. ‘ Where is the cellar door?’ I showed 
him and down he went, and then he rushed up 


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to the bathroom and in a few minutes the over- 
flow stopped and I was so relieved that I almost 
cried, and then I remembered my biscuits burning 
up in the oven and I rushed to them, Jim follow- 
ing. He turned in and helped me mop up the 
floor and he set the potatoes back so they wouldn’t 
blacken to a crisp, and he unstopped the wash- 
stand and set everything to rights so quickly, 
joking and laughing all the time, so that it just 
came over me what a dear fellow he was and how 
fine it would be to have him at hand in emer- 
gencies, so I spoke right out and said : ‘ Oh, 

Jim, I wish I could always have you around when 
I get into trouble,’ and he said : ‘ You can, Mar- 

gie, if you’ll have me ; I’d ask nothing better,’ and 
I just let him take me in his arms and so — and 
so — that’s all. 

“ He knew that I was going over to Flo’s and 
he came to take me home, knowing I’d either get 
swallowed up in the six o’clock crowd or that I 
would be out alone later than I ought. He is the 
dearest thing, I can’t tell you, now that I have 
found out his serious side, how dear, but I will 
spare you further rhapsodies. There is no talk 


DRIFTING 


319 


of our marrying yet. I am happy and so is Jim, 
and the rest can wait.” 

There was more, but it was not of such great 
importance as this first news, though one little 
item at the end made Nona smile. “ Julian was 
here last Sunday and met George Ewing. He 
thinks she is lovely, and says she reminds him of 
you. Does your throne feel unsteady? How 
would it do to ask her to visit me at Fairington 
this summer?” 

Julian’s letter was frank and boyish. He 
hoped Nona would not fail to come to Fairington. 
He had met Miss Ewing and she was fine, but 
he was always and forever true to Nona and was 
her faithful Julian. 

Nona went in to find her grandmother. “ Such 
a piece of news,” she said. “ Margie and Jim 
are engaged at last. He has been devoted to her 
for three years but she would never give in, 
though now she has. I am so glad, for I was 
afraid she might marry that smooth little Italian 
or that wild-haired Hungarian or some one as 
queer. She used to say that it was so common- 
place to care for Jim, and talked of Italian skies 


320 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


and of Bohemian life till it scared me sometimes, 
for I didn’t know but that she’d elope.” 

“ She has too much good sense to do such a 
foolish thing,” said Mrs. Wilson. 

“ Yes, so it is proved. She is quite practical 
in some ways, yet very romantic in others, and I 
have never been quite sure which side would win. 
I must read you her account of how it all came 
about; it is so like Margie; she writes just as she 
talks.” She read a few pages of the letter and 
then returned it to its envelope. “ The little chil- 
dren she tells of are Rufus and Rosalie Owens, 
but we always call them by the names they give 
each other.” “ I had a letter from Julian, too,” 
she added after a pause. 

“Any special news from him?” 

“ No, he wants me to be sure to go to Fair- 
ington this summer.” 

“ Do you want to go ? ” 

“ I don’t know ; I can’t tell yet. Maybe I will 
conclude that I would rather stay here with my 
grandy.” 

“ You mustn’t do that if you want to go.” 

“ I’d like to see Margie and hear all about 


DRIFTING 


321 


things, but if I go, I’ll not stay long, not more 
than a week, I think; I’ll not decide yet. Fm 
glad Margie isn’t to be married just yet; I shall 
feel quite out of the way when she and Ada 
marry.” She sat pensively looking out of the 
window, her elbows on the sill. Her grand- 
mother watched her. 

“ I’d hate to have you leave me, Nona, just as 
I have you to myself,” she said wistfully. 

The girl turned, smiling. “ No fear of that, 
grandy. You are likely to have me always.” 

“ What would Julian say to that?” 

“ He would have no right to say anything.” 

“ Well, you can afford to wait some years yet, 
Nona; you are barely nineteen.” 

“ I realize that, although I feel much older 
sometimes. Margie is twenty and Sylvia was 
just her age when she married. I am not pining, 
I assure you, grandy. Life is very pleasant, even 
if my friends do get married. I love this old 
place more and more, and I don’t miss my child- 
hood’s home half so much when I am here, foi 
this was where my mother lived when she was 
my age.” 


322 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“And it will be yours after I am gone.” 

“ I hope that will be many, many years from 
now.” 

“ I should like to see you happily married be- 
fore I go, but I do not want to lose you from 
my side ; I should like this to be your home and 
your children’s. I should like to leave you all 
here, knowing you loved the old home as I do. 
There, Nona, I am getting too sentimental. Do 
go shoo those chickens out of the front garden; 
there must be a loose paling somewhere. Tell 
Thad to find it and mend it right away.” 

Nona went out again into the garden. How 
sweet the scent of roses and blooming bor- 
ders made the air. “ It is a dear old place,” 
the girl murmured ; “ I shall probably live 
here always, and when I am an old, old woman 
with neither husband, chick nor child, I’ll have 
Margie’s children come to see me ; I’ll have house 
parties for them as grandma had for me. I 
wonder if I shall be queer and cranky and ‘ sot 
in my ways’ as Mammy True says.” She went 
slowly down the walk and after dislodging the 
intrusive chickens she hunted up Thad and then 


DRIFTING 


323 


went on to her favorite seat in a little niche 
formed by the roots of two trees which grew 
close together. Taking out her letters she read 
them over again, and with them spread out upon 
her lap she was absorbed in their contents when 
Mr. Harwood’s voice interrupted her. 

“Ah, Miss Nona, your grandmother said she 
thought I might find you here ; she says you have 
a piece of news for me, so you see how speedily 
my curiosity brought me out to get it. May I 
sit down here? What a nice cozy place.” 

“Yes, isn’t it? Can you find a comfortable 
root?” 

“ Oh yes, I’ll take the hollow next yours, if I 
may.” 

“ The news,” said Nona, spreading out her let- 
ter, “ is that Margie and Jim are engaged. It 
isn’t very startling, for everyone expected it. It 
is an odd fact that when it is perfectly obvious 
to outsiders that two persons are in love with 
each other they expect everyone to be surprised 
when their engagement is announced.” 

“ So you are not surprised. Are you 
pleased ? ” 


324 


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“ Yes, very much so. I had a letter from 
Julian, too.” 

Mr. Harwood did not make an immediate re- 
sponse. He seemed absorbed in picking up the 
little buds which had fallen from the tree over- 
head. After a pause he said, a little unsteadily, 
“ You have nothing to announce in Julian’s di- 
rection? ” 

“ No, what could I have? ” 

“ Your own engagement to him? ” 

“ Mine ? Oh, no, we are good friends ; we 
always have been and shall always continue to 
be.” 

“ That and nothing more? ” 

“ That and nothing more, to the end of the 
chapter.” 

“ And you consider me your friend, too ? ” 

“ You have said so.” 

“ But I am not, Nona ; I am not that alone. 
I am your lover.” 

Nona gave a quick little gasp and sat very 
still, but made no answer. 

“ I have many times meant to tell you so,” 
Mr. Harwood went on, “ but I have been very 


drifting 


325 


dubious of how you would take it. You have 
been sometimes so exceedingly cold and distant, 
so indifferent; you have seemed almost to hate 
me at times and have avoided me on many occa- 
sions, but of late you have been kinder, and to- 
day I told myself that I would keep silence no 
longer, that I would offer you my love to take 
or reject, as you please. Will you take it, Nona? 
Will you marry me?” 

The lips were quivering that said “ No.” 
There was a short silence and then Nona gath- 
ered strength to go on. “ You know, Mr. Har- 
wood, that it could never be. You know why. 
You have been very considerate and have never 
alluded to that old barrier between us, but it 
still exists; it will always exist. You might 
think you trusted me, that you believed in me, 
but if occasion came for distrust would you be 
able to turn to me and say : I know you are not 
capable of deceit? And even if you were noble 
enough to say nothing of what you felt, I should 
feel your distrust, and I could not bear it. Don’t 
you see ? Don’t you see how impossible it is ? ” 

“ Nona, Nona,” the man groaned, “ can we 


326 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


never bury that old trouble? I am willing to 
ignore it. I have shut it out of my thoughts. I 
will forget it.” 

“ You cannot. You may try, but it will come 
again and again. You will not be able to lay its 
ghost ; it would always rise between us. I appre- 
ciate your willingness to forget. I am grateful 
that you love me in spite of it, but there it is and 
it will haunt us forever. Can’t you see that I am 
right? ” 

“ I can see nothing but your dear face, your 
sweet eyes. I am blind to everything but that 
I love you. I am blind to all your childish folly, 
your little foolish faults. Why should I charge 
them against you? I have my faults, too. Ah, 
Nona, at your very worst you are far better than 
I. Ah, my dear, I love you so, can’t you love 
me a little ? ” 

“ It isn’t a question of loving,” said Nona, 
very pale ; “ it is a question of a lifelong com- 
panionship that must have absolute faith and re- 
spect for its basis.” 

“ I give you both, dear Benona. Ah, how I 
love that quaint little name by which your grand- 


DRIFTING 


327 


mother sometimes calls you. It is yours alone; 
no one else owns it, and it is so very dear to me.” 

That despised name. Nona smiled faintly. 
She had always disliked it, and he loved it be- 
cause it was hers alone. It was hard, hard to 
put all this aside. 

“ I give you love, respect, admiration,” re- 
peated Mr. Harwood. 

“ But not absolute faith.” 

“Why insist?” he said almost impatiently. 
“ That, too ; yes, that too.” 

“If you can, but you cannot; I know you 
cannot. I know how you regard such things, 
and some day, if it came to a question of believ- 
ing or disbelieving some one thing in which I 
was concerned, you could not believe. I know 
it; oh, I know it. That is why I have struggled 
all along, for I will tell you the truth, I have 
struggled to avoid you, not to care; and when 
I knew, when they told me that you cared for 
Ethel Patterson I set my face against you ; it was 
then I avoided you. I will be frank and tell 
you that I did try to dislike you ; I wanted to.” 

“ But you knew it could not be she whom I 
loved.” 


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TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ How could I know ? ” 

“ Did I alter my manner toward you ? Didn't 
you guess long ago that I loved you, Nona? 
Last summer on the bridge, didn’t you know 
then?” 

“ I tried not to think so.” 

“ I was a very boyish admirer of Ethel’s. I 
used to carry her books to and from school for 
her. I danced with her at dancing school. I 
did the little foolish things a lad of sixteen does, 
and there the whole affair stopped. She could 
never touch my heart, Nona, you must have 
known that. But you — Oh, my little girl, you 
have confessed that you have struggled not to 
care, don’t struggle any longer, for Nona, dear 
little Nona, I swear to you that you are my 
only love and unless I win you no other shall 
ever take your place.” 

Nona raised her hand as if to ward him away. 
“ No, no,” she said faintly. “ It cannot be. I 
should simply be storing up unhappiness for us 
both. Let this be the end. It must always be 
no.” 

Then came a light voice upon the air. “ Nona, 
Nona, where are you? ” 


DRIFTING 


329 


Nona sprang- to her feet. “ Sylvia ! ” she cried 
running- toward her sister. “ I was over there, 
over there under the tree,” she said in an agitated 
voice. “ Mr. Harwood is there. Will you come 
over, or go back to the house?” 

Sylvia looked at her curiously. “ Why, Nona, 
your hands are as cold as ice and you are so pale. 
Aren’t you well, dear? ” 

“ Never mind, I — I — . Come, let us go to 
the house. I have a piece of news for you. 
Come, Mr. Harwood,” she called without looking 
back. He arose and followed a little behind 
them. He, too, was very pale. “ I must show 
you Margie’s letter,” said Nona, linking her arm 
in her sister’s, “ and, oh yes, I have a letter from 
Julian, too. What is your news, Sylvia?” She 
talked fast till a red spot burned in each cheek. 

Mrs. Wilson, sitting on the porch, was joined 
by Mr. Harwood, while Nona took her sister 
up-stairs. She was glad that Margaret’s letter 
gave her an excuse to talk about something out- 
side her own affairs, but Sylvia did not forget 
her paleness, nor the cold trembling hands. She 
listened to Margaret’s letter and commented 


330 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


upon it as Nona would have had her, then she 
took Nona’s face between her hands and kissed 
it. “ Something troubles you, dear, what is it?” 
she asked. “ You looked so strange as I came 
up, and Mr. Harwood, too, was pale. Did I 
interrupt a — a — anything, Nona? Tell me, 
little sister, is anything wrong?” And Nona 
flung her arms around her sister’s neck and 
sobbed out her heart with her head on Sylvia’s 
shoulder. 

“ Why, my dear, my dear,” said Sylvia, “ You 
love him? You have refused him? What does 
it mean ? ” 

“ I can’t tell, I can’t, Sylvia ; it is all over. 
It can never, never be, that is all. I am not 
heart-broken, don’t think it, dear. Go down and 
try to excuse me to grandma and let me have it 
out by myself. I didn’t intend you nor anybody 
should ever know. I’ll be all right after a while.” 
And Sylvia kissed and embraced her and then 
left her. 


CHAPTER XIX 

CONFESSIONS 

When Sylvia reached the porch she found that 
Mr. Harwood had gone inside and that he was 
standing by the piano. He had accepted Mrs. 
Wilson’s invitation to stay to tea, upon his first 
coming, and was wondering how he could grace- 
fully retreat. “ Nona will be down in a little 
while,” said Sylvia composedly. “ Where is 
grandma ? ” 

“ She was called to look after something by 
her faithful henchman, Thad.” 

“ Thad is a great institution,” Sylvia returned. 
“ He used always to drive for grandpa when he 
made his professional rounds, and he still thinks 
the old office a spot to be venerated. The 
doctor’s buggy he considers sacred; it is such a 
funny, roomy old affair, though it serves a good 
purpose sometimes. When did you see the Du- 
valls, Mr. Harwood, or rather, when did you 
331 


332 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


see Emily? You see Bennett every day, of 
course.” 

“ I see Mrs. Duvall nearly every day. They 
are about as happy a pair as one could meet.” 

Sylvia laughed. “ They ought to thank me 
for that,” she said. 

Mr. Harwood looked at her with a sudden 
lighting up of his face. “ Mrs. Waters, what do 
you mean ? ” he asked. 

“ Oh nothing,” replied Sylvia lightly, though 
looking somewhat confused. “ I helped on that 
affair a little, that’s all. One must do those 
things sometimes for a friend, you know. It 
really wasn’t anything to speak of. I have al- 
ways been glad I did it, though.” 

“ Mrs. Waters, I beg of you, I implore you 
to be frank with me and tell me what it was you 
did.” He strode up to her and fixed an earnest, 
intense gaze upon her. 

“ Oh, but I can’t,” she said smiling and step- 
ping back a little. “ I promised I wouldn’t.” 

“ You will tell me whom you promised, you 
will do that ? ” 

“ Yes, I can tell that. How judicially you look 


CONFESSIONS 


333 


at me. Oh, Mr. Harwood — ” A sudden lovely 
color dyed her face. “ Is it — has it anything 
to do with you and Nona? Oh, has it? ” 

“ Mrs* Waters, there must be nothing but the 
solemn truth between us in this matter. Please 
tell me, as you would help a suffering man, whom 
did you promise ?” 

She looked at him, at the set tense face, pale 
with emotion, and realized that here truly was 
a suffering man. “ It was Nona,” she said in a 
whisper. 

He clenched his hand hard. “ You said just 
now that one must do things sometimes to help 
a friend, will you tell me all that implies, for 
my sake, and for — Nona’s ? ” 

“ For Nona’s? Is it — Oh, no, she cannot 
have such overstrained notions of duty. Will 
you explain yourself a little more clearly? I 
don’t quite know what it is I am to tell.” 

He made a little gesture of despair. “ We 
must not be interrupted,” he said. “ I think we 
had better go down where you found us today, 
if you do not object.” 

Sylvia laughed. “ It certainly is becoming a 


334 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


matter of momentous import; you are sure you 
have no witnesses secreted in that hollow tree, 
Mr. Harwood ?” 

He made no reply, but followed her down to 
the old tree and she seated herself in a pictur- 
esque attitude, never forgetting to be becomingly 
posed. “ Now go on,” she said. 

He took a position against a tree opposite, 
leaning back with folded arms. “ There was a 
letter,” he said ; “ it was sent to Mrs. Duvall 
before her marriage; it purported to be from 
Bennett. Owing to the contents of that letter 
the two became engaged. I saw the document 
and, more from professional curiosity than any- 
thing else, I tried to trace it. Circumstances 
pointed to your sister as the writer; the paper 
used was such as she always uses and she has 
never denied that it was her work. In fact, she 
has always led me to believe that it was hers. 
Because of that letter, to-day she rejected me. 
If she did not write it — ” He paused and made 
a gesture of entreaty. 

“Because of the letter she rejected you? I 
don’t understand,” said Sylvia wonderingly. 


CONFESSIONS 


335 


“ Must I be more explicit ? Then, because she 
feels that I must always believe that she was 
guilty of a forgery she argues that there could 
never be perfect trust and faith on my part, and 
that I would feel even an unexpressed distrust 
of her.” 

Sylvia covered her face with her hands. “ Oh 
my poor little Nona,” she murmured, “ why are 
you so given to heroics? All this time she has 
carried the burden for me,” she said springing to 
her feet, all self-consciousness gone, and a real, 
devoted love shining in her face. “ You need 
distrust her no longer,” she said. “ It was I 
who wrote the letter, and all this time Nona has 
borne the blame. I; took a sheet of her paper 
because it seemed more suitable than mine. Nona 
discovered it and begged me never to tell.” 

“Ah ! ” Mr. Harwood drew a long breath. 

“ I didn’t think it was such a dreadful thing 
to do,” said Sylvia wistfully. “ I think it was 
a little overstrained for Nona to make such a 
mountain of it, for it has made two people, in- 
deed, four, very happy.” 

“And two very miserable,” Mr. Harwood 
could not refrain from saying. 


336 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


The tears sprang to Sylvia’s lovely eyes. “ I 
didn’t know it would,” she made excuse. “ I 
am sorry, very sorry, Mr. Harwood. If Nona 
had only told me that she was carrying the blame 
of it, I never would have allowed her to do it.” 

“ She has the devoted spirit of the early mar- 
tyrs,” said Mr. Harwood in an exultant tone. 
“ What courage, what a heart of gold she has. 
What other woman would have locked the secret 
so safely for the sake of the love she bore a 
sister? ” 

“ Oh, the dear brave little soul ! The dear lov- 
ing little heart,” said Sylvia, grieved at the 
trouble she had caused, but yet complacently 
satisfied with this proof of Nona’s love for her. 
“ Has — Has Emily the letter now ? ” she asked 
hesitatingly. 

“ No, that identical one no longer exists. Ben- 
nett copied it and gave his wife the true letter 
because he could not bear that she should set any 
value on a forgery. He knows nothing about 
the matter beyond the fact that such a letter was 
written by someone. It is our secret, yours and 
Nona’s and mine. No one shall ever know but 
ourselves. I give you my word of honor.” 


CONFESSIONS 


337 


“ I know I can trust you/’ said Sylvia, a little 
uneasy to see how seriously the matter was re- 
garded. “ Please forgive me for making you 
unhappy, Mr. Harwood,” she added. 

She looked so fair and wistful and beseeching 
that it was not in his heart to harbor resent- 
ment. Could he do less than forgive Nona’s sis- 
ter, when Nona’s love had been so great and so 
unselfish ? She had endured silently all this time, 
for Sylvia’s sake, the pain of suspicion, the pangs 
of hopeless love, perhaps. “ Please forgive me,” 
repeated Sylvia, and then with a little wistful 
smile she added, “ for Nona’s sake.” 

“ I do forgive you, if I am the one to forgive,” 
he said, “ but I think I am scarcely less a sinner, 
for I should have known, I should have known.” 

“ That she could not do such a thing? Yes, 
I suppose it was very wicked, but I can’t seem 
to feel that it was, and I don’t believe I regret 
anything except that I have made Nona unhappy. 
I will go and send her to you, shall I, Mr. Har- 
wood ? ” 

“ If she will come. I do not deserve that she 
should. I should serve years for her.” 


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“ But she will come,” said Sylvia with a reas- 
suring nod. 

He watched her white frock as she flitted be- 
tween the long rows of box and then the thick 
embowering trees hid her from sight. 

Sylvia ran up to Nona’s room, knocking per- 
emptorily. A pale serious little face with eyes 
heavy with tears, was raised as she entered. 
“ Nona, Nona,” cried Sylvia, “ oh you poor dar- 
ling, all this time you have been unhappy. Why 
did you do it, dear? For me? I know, but you 
shouldn’t have. Oh, Nona, I know it all. I 
know all about it, and how you have taken the 
blame. Oh, you sweet little Nona, how could 
you do it for this mean old sister of yours ? But 
I told him, Nona. I ’fessed; I had to, and it was 
right that I should, and even if it hadn’t been 
right I would have done it, for I couldn’t have 
helped myself, he looked at me so, as if he would 
see into my very soul. What a stern judge he 
will make if he ever rises to such a position. I 
should be afraid of him if I were a criminal.” 

A criminal! Nona shuddered, then she took 
Sylvia in her arms and kissed her over and over 


CONFESSIONS 


339 


again. “ He shall not think harsh things of 
you, dear; he shall not,” she said. 

“ Oh, he doesn’t,” returned Sylvia lightly. 
“ He was very nice, and forgave me very 
sweetly, and it is all right. Will you go down 
and see him, dear? He is so unhappy and he 
is waiting for you under the tree where you 
were sitting when I came. Kiss me, you dear, 
dear child. How much you must love me, Nona, 
to take all the blame and make yourself so mis- 
erable.” 

“ I do love you,” said Nona, kissing her and 
holding her very close. 

“ And I love you,” returned Sylvia. “ No- 
body ever had such a sweet, good sister. Now, 
run along, I’ll keep grandma entertained while 
you have your talk out.” 

Nona went slowly down the walk toward the 
big trees. Mr. Harwood was still standing there, 
one hand pressed over his eyes. He did not see 
nor hear her approach, and for a few minutes 
she stood looking at him, in the fullness of her 
heart, glorying in her right to give him her 
abundant love, and yet hesitating to speak the 


340 


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word which should bring her to her own. At 
last she said in a soft voice : “ Sylvia sent me.” 

He started, and his hand dropped to his side 
but he made no movement toward her. “ Oh, 
sweet saint,” he said, “ I am humbled in the dust. 
How dared I, in my arrogance, to do you such 
wrong? I should have obeyed only the prompt- 
ings of my own heart which never let me believe 
you guilty of the smallest deceit. What were 
reason, proofs, or anything compared to that in- 
sistent voice which would never let me think 
you anything but what you are, the noblest, love- 
liest woman God ever made. I am not worthy so 
much as to touch your hand. I cannot ask for 
your love; I ask only for your forgiveness.” 

Still he did not move, but Nona came a step 
nearer. “ You could not know,” she said. “ I 
allowed you to believe as you did. Anyone 
would have done the same.” 

“ Not if they had read you aright. I should 
have believed in you in spite of the whole world. 
Will you, oh sweet saint, will you forgive me ? ” 
“ I am no saint,” said Nona. “ I am only a 
very human person, a girl who makes many mis- 


CONFESSIONS 


341 


takes and, please don’t talk of forgiveness ; of 
course I forgive you what you were made to be- 
lieve.” 

“ I can never again aspire to anything but 
your friendship,” said her lover still very hum- 
ble. “ Will you let me be your friend still in 
spite of all? ” 

“ Yes,” said Nona softly, going still nearer 
to him. “ But you said — you know, you said 
you were something else.” She hung her head 
and looked up at him with a shy glance. 

“ Nona! Do you mean that you care for me? 
How can such a saint love such a sinner ? ” 

“ But I do,” said Nona, scarcely above a whis- 
per. And the last barrier was swept away. 

Sylvia was rocking back and forth in one 
of the big porch chairs when the two made 
their appearance. She sprang up and went to 
meet them with outstretched hands. “ Well,” 
she said gaily, “ is it all right ? ” 

Nona laid her hands in her sister’s. “ It is all 
right, beautifully right,” she said. “ Where is 
grandma? I must see her.” 

“ She has just come in from the barn-yard and 


342 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


is in the office looking over some accounts or 
seeds or something.” 

“ I will find her.” 

“ And I must go home or my big boy will 
be fretting for me. I suppose no power on 
earth would drag you away, Mr. Harwood. It 
seems that I shall have to call you brother Ran- 
dolph some day.” 

“ It is almost too good to believe, but it is 
true that it is the prospect. I will see you to 
your carriage, Mrs. Waters; your man is com- 
ing now.” He watched her drive away, so gay 
and light-hearted, scarcely realizing the unhappi- 
ness of which she had been the cause, and, now 
that she had made her confession, quite care- 
free and happy. Beautiful, lovable, and beloved, 
yet there were no deep soundings to her nature, 
and of high principles she had small compre- 
hension. 

In a few minutes Mrs. Wilson appeared with 
Nona. “ So you are going to rob me of my lit- 
tle girl,” she said. “ Aren’t you very ungrate- 
ful, Mr. Harwood?” But she smiled as she 
spoke and he knew she was not ill-pleased. 


CONFESSIONS 


343 


“ I shall not take her very far, and she will not 
have to go till she is quite ready to leave you,” 
he made reply. 

“ Why need she go at all,” said Mrs. Wilson. 
“ I think it would be much better for you both 
to make your home with me.” 

“Should you like that, Nona?” asked her 
lover. 

“ Better than anything,” she answered. 

“ The house is big enough,” said Mrs. Wilson, 
“ and if we quarrel we can get as far away from 
each other as we like, and grumble all we choose 
without disturbing anyone.” 

Mr. Harwood laughed. “ I hope there will be 
no quarrelings or grumblings.” 

“ You don't know me yet,” replied Mrs. Wil- 
son shaking her head. “I am afraid I am 
rather masterful, but as I grow older I am a little 
more ready to drop the reins and to desire peace, 
so perhaps I shall become a tolerable housemate 
in time.” 

“You are now,” declared Nona stoutly. 
“ You are much less prickly, grandy dear, and 
I think we shall be a model household.” 


344 


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“ And this is the girl that declared to me this 
morning that she would never marry,” said Mrs. 
Wilson with a smile. “ How did you happen to 
change your mind so suddenly ? ” 

“ The cause is not very far off,” said Nona 
with a happy little smile. “ It never rains but 
it pours, you know, grandy, and perhaps Mar- 
gie’s example was too much for me.” 

“ You are sure you will not mind coming out 
here?” Mrs. Wilson asked Mr. Harwood anxi- 
ously. “ It is something of a journey to take 
every day.” 

“ Not a bit of it. What is a journey of two 
miles? And the peace and restfulness that one 
gets here are worth more than the distance. I 
have always maintained that it is a good thing 
for a man to get as far away from his office as 
possible when he wants to rest, and I shall enjoy 
it here.” 

“ But when there is anything going 'on in 
town and you want to stay in late, what then? 
You see I am showing you all the disadvantages 
so that you may know what to expect.” 

“ What did you do when you were first mar- 
ried, Mrs. Wilson?” 


CONFESSIONS 


345 


Oh, you know the doctor had his office here, 
and it was not often that he could take the time 
to go about in the evenings with me, but some- 
times we did go together and it was a treat to 
me.” 

“ If time were a consideration Nona could 
meet me in town and we could do our junketing 
without difficulty; if there were plenty of time 
two miles is a mere step, not half as far as most 
persons in New York have to go. Don’t trouble 
yourself, my dear Mrs. Wilson; we shall get all 
the fun we want without working too hard for 
it, I’ll venture to say.” 

Whatever the household might be in the fu- 
ture it was a happy one that night. So many 
dreams were coming true. Mrs. Wilson, at one 
end of the porch, rocked back and forth, her 
thoughts straying back over past years and for- 
ward to those which were to come, and she was 
peacefully content. At the other sat Nona and 
her lover talking in low murmurs, the rose petals 
softly drifting down upon their heads. 

“ You frighten me when you put me on such a 
high pedestal,” Nona said. “ I am afraid I shall 


346 


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never be able to keep my place there. I am by 
no means perfect. I am often saucy to grandma 
and I have inherited her tenacity of opinion. 
Sylvia thinks I am very opinionated. You will 
be disappointed if you think you are going to 
marry an angel. I have many faults.” 

“ Who has not, darling ? I am glad you have, 
or else I should think that we two, saint and sin- 
ner, would be too unequally yoked and that you 
would be made unhappy by the contrast. I am 
not afraid to face the future with you, dear 
Benona, dearest Benona. Do you remember a 
June night a year ago? I think I loved you 
then.” And in such fond and foolish talk they 
spent their evening. There were shadows ahead 
but they could not see them ; there were burdens 
to be borne and griefs to enter their home but 
now there was nothing but love and the light of 
a great happiness. 

When her lover had gone Nona went over to 
her grandmother and knelt beside her. “ Oh, 
grandma dear,” she whispered, “ were you once 
as happy as I ? ” 

“ Yes, dear child, and the memory of that I 


CONFESSIONS 


347 


can never lose. What we have had cannot be 
taken from us and though your grandfather and 
your dear mother are to-night in Paradise they 
are mine still and when I follow I shall find 
them. I am happy, too, child, for my dream 
will come true and this will be your home always. 

I shall not be left to a lonely old age.” 

The next day a long letter was written to 
Margie whose surprise in this case would be 
greater than Nona’s had been when Margaret 
told of her engagement. Nona’s letter was more 
reserved than Margaret’s had been, for it was 
not Nona’s way to enter into details where she 
felt deeply. She made no promise about the 
visit to Fairington, but she did advise Margaret 
to urge George Ewing to make her a visit, and 
then she smiled to herself. “ I am afraid that 
is to ease my conscience,” she said. “ I don’t 
want Julian to miss me and I do want him to 
marry a girl like George. I hope he will fall in 
love seriously, and I believe I had better keep 
out of the way. Perhaps Margie will come here 
for a visit. I will ask her, for that would please 
grandma much better than to have me go there. 


348 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


I must go to see mamma. I have neglected her 
shamefully, and she will be glad and interested 
to know my news. Ah me! did I dream this 
time yesterday that I should be so blissfully 
happy to-day ? ” 

She went down to find her grandmother, when 
she had finished her letters. “ I think it would 
be kinder if I were to go to Baltimore and tell 
mamma my news,” she said. “ Can you spare 
me a day, grandy? And instead of going to 
Fairington, don’t you think it would be pleasanter 
for us to have Margie here for a little visit? I 
want to see her, and yet I think I’d rather not 
go to Fairington.” 

“ On Julian’s account, I suppose. He’ll not 
pine away and fill an early grave on your ac- 
count, Nona. Don’t flatter yourself.” 

“ I don’t,” returned Nona, “ but I think it 
would be better not to go, don’t you, honestly 
now ? ” 

“ Honestly, yes, and I am sure I don’t want 
you to go, and perhaps you are right to announce 
your engagement to Mrs. Martin in person. 
You can go up any day you like.” 


CONFESSIONS 


349 


“ Then I’ll go soon and get it over.” She was 
as good as her word and made her visit the very 
next day. Mrs. Martin received her affection- 
ately and listened with great interest to what she 
had to tell. 

“ I am sure I am much pleased,” she said. “ I 
feel now that your future is secure and that you 
are both well settled. I am sure your poor father 
would be gratified. You must let me help you 
out with your trousseau, Nona, and whenever 
you want to do any shopping you must come 
right here and make my home your headquarters. 
And you are really going to live at your grand- 
mother’s? How will Mr. Harwood like that?” 

“ He likes it. He and grandma are great 
friends. She respects him and he always seems 
able to smooth away her sharp speeches so that 
they don’t have any effect. She ought not to be 
left alone at her age.” 

“ That is quite true, and I suppose she will 
leave you the homestead, for you were always 
her favorite. I am sure, Nona, I am much 
gratified that you are making so good a match. 
Mr. Harwood is really a superior man to Graham 


350 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Waters.” She looked at Nona as if she won- 
dered a little how she had managed it, and why 
Sylvia's beauty had not won the prize. “ Mr. 
Martin says that Mr. Harwood is a rising young 
lawyer and that he will make his mark. You 
really are doing very well, Nona. I am quite 
pleased.” 

Having discharged her duty Nona did not feel 
called upon to prolong her stay and took her leave 
with a sense of relief. There had never been 
much sympathy between herself and her step- 
mother, and though Nona gave her a certain re- 
spect there was no great affection. She was 
glad, too, to leave the hot dusty city and to get 
back into the rose-embowered old farm-house. 
She found her grandmother was not alone but 
that Emily Duvall was on the porch waiting to 
see her. “ I couldn't wait,” said Emily. “ Ben- 
nett told me when he came in to dinner that Ran- 
dolph was walking on air and that he never saw 
a person so changed, and so I had to come right 
out with my good wishes in my hand. I am so 
glad, Nona. Randolph is such a good fellow; 
I wish you could hear Bennett on the subject, 


CONFESSIONS 


351 


and it is so nice that it is you'that he is going to 
marry; you are just the wife for him and I don't 
know a girl that either Bennett or I would be 
more pleased to see him marry. Do you remem- 
ber the night of the concert? I thought then 
that he admired you, even when he was so dread- 
fully non-committal." 

“ Yes, and you warned me not to fall in love 
with him," returned Nona smiling. 

“ So I did. I told you he would never be a 
spontaneous lover, but I take it all back. I have 
no doubt but that he is eloquence itself and that 
he is, moreover, everything he ought to be and 
that you are perfectly satisfied." 

“ I am," Nona replied, “ and I wouldn’t have 
him changed in any particular." 

“ That’s what I say of Bennett," returned 
Emily laughing ; “ he is Bennett and that is 
enough. Is it to be soon, Nona? " 

“ No, indeed, not for a year at least. Grandma 
thinks I am still rather young and I am in no 
hurry. If we had to be separated or there were 
any reason for a short engagement I’d say noth- 
ing, but as it is I would rather wait." 


352 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Well, I wish you may be as happy as I am, 
and that is wishing you a great deal. Bennett 
said he would come for me and I think that is he 
now.” 

Bennett’s good wishes, if more clumsily given, 
were none the less sincere, and in his praise of 
Randolph he waxed fairly eloquent so that Nona 
felt that upon the loyalty of these two friends 
she could always depend. 


CHAPTER XX 

TRAILING ARBUTUS 

Margaret gladly accepted Nona’s invitation to 
make a little visit at the farm, for the news of 
Nona’s engagement, immediately following her 
own, made her eager to see her cousin and talk 
it all over. She arrived one evening early in 
July, all excitement, and fairly danced up and 
down when she grabbed Nona, who came to meet 
her. “ It seemed as if I would never get here,” 
she exclaimed. “ Oh, Nona, isn’t it funny? 
And oh, you sly thing, why didn’t you tell me 
something of all this before? ” 

“ There wasn’t anything to tell,” Nona re- 
turned. “ You must have known how I felt or 
you wouldn’t have taken up the cudgels so 
bravely at Sylvia’s when Miss Patterson was 

there. You were right about her, Margie; there 
353 


354 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


never was anything at all in the affair between 
her and Randolph/’ 

Margaret laughed gleefully. “ I wonder how 
she liked the news of your engagement. I can’t 
help being very spiteful whenever I think of her, 
Nona, so don’t look so virtuously reproachful. 
When are you going to be married and where 
are you going to live? ” 

“We will live with grandma. Dear grandy, 
she has softened wonderfully this last year, and 
I feel that we all misunderstood her when we 
were children. She says as she grows older that 
she finds it is not worth while to fight everybody. 
She and Randolph have always been such good 
friends and he agrees with me that it would not 
be right for me to leave her alone, and so the 
mountain will come to Mahomet.” 

“ How funny it is to hear you call him Ran- 
dolph. Do you really dare to do it to his face? ” 
“ Of course, silly girl, why shouldn’t I ? ” 

“ Oh, he always seemed so stand-offish and dig- 
nified.” 

“ Wait till you know him better,” laughed 
Nona. “ He can be as boyish and full of fun 
as anybody.” 


TRAILING ARBUTUS 


355 


“ He didn't exhibit much humor there in Fair- 
ington last summer." 

“ No wonder," Nona gave a little sigh ; “ we 
were going through our hardest trials just then; 
there were misunderstandings and things and it 
didn't seem as if it ever could be all right. He 
wanted to come down with me to meet you, but 
I wouldn't let him, for I wanted to have you all 
to myself this first hour. He will be out this 
evening. Now tell me about Jim." 

“ He is the same blessed old dear. What a 
ninny I was not to discover how good and re- 
liable he is. We are going to marry in the fall, 
Nona, for I hate to have him endure life in a 
New York boarding house any longer than nec- 
essary. There is no semblance of a home about 
it, and he does so long for a home, so we are 
going to take a little house somewhere, either in 
Brooklyn or Harlem or some suburban town, and 
he shall have a home then if I can make it for 
him." 

“ And if there is any trouble with the pipes," 
laughed Nona, “ he will know what to do." 

Margaret laughed too. “ That was really a 


356 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


lucky overflow, and it didn’t do much damage 
since it was stopped in time. You are to be sure 
to hold yourself in readiness for the wedding, 
Nona. We have arranged it all. You are to be 
maid of honor, and Ada and George Ewing 
bridesmaids. We are going to be married in 
Fairington in the little old church. I’d so much 
rather have it so, and so would Jim.” 

“ I shall be married in church, too,” said Nona, 
“ in the same church in which my mother Was 
married. We did think of a home wedding, but 
I think it seems a little more solemn and suit- 
able to be married in church when one can. I 
shall be in no hurry, Margie; it will be a year, 
at least, before I begin to think of it.” 

“ Poor Julian,” sighed Margaret in mock sym- 
pathy. 

“ Poor Julian, indeed ! I’ll venture to say be- 
fore the summer is over he will be tagging 
George Ewing everywhere, and I hope he will.” 

“ So do I, since you won’t have him, and I 
shouldn’t wonder if your predictions would come 
true. Julian is not one to pine on the stem, and 
if he can’t get pudding he will take pie. George 


TRAILING ARBUTUS 


357 


would be just the girl for him and, strange to 
say, she was much taken with him, for she doesn’t 
usually care a snap about men. I have never 
known her to fancy anyone very much.” 

“ Then do invite her to Fairington this sum- 
mer.” 

“ Oh, I have already, and she is coming as soon 
as I go back. Julian has promised to play my 
wedding march, and I want to feel that I have all 
the friends that I love best around me to help 
me make my start in life. I tell you, Nona,” she 
went on quite seriously, “ when a girl really loves 
a man for his true worth, she doesn’t take mar- 
riage lightly. I think I owe you and George 
Ewing a great deal, for you are both so unwaver- 
ing in your principles and you have made me see 
the reality of things, the serious side of life. Ah, 
there is the dear old white house, and Mrs. Wil- 
son has actually come all the way to the first 
gate. Let me get out, Nona, and walk up to 
the house with her, and you can drive around to 
the stable.” 

Short though Margaret’s visit was, it was long 
enough for her to recognize many qualities in 


358 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


Randolph Harwood which she had not seen be- 
fore, and she went away quite satisfied with 
Nona’s choice. When Nona next went to Fair- 
ington it was in October when Margaret was mar- 
ried. On this occasion Julian confided to Nona 
that he had serious intentions of asking Miss Ew- 
ing to marry him, and that it was all because she 
was more like Nona than any girl he had met, 
and what did Nona think about it. 

“ She is just the girl for you,” said Nona 
heartily. 

“ You see,” said Julian, “ if it hadn’t been for 
you I should very likely have married some girl 
just because she was pretty and had cunning little 
ways, but somehow since I have seen you I can’t 
stand silly girls any more. Oh, I tell you, Nona, 
it was a pretty hard pull for me after I heard 
you were going to marry Ran, but you know I 
had promised you I’d not go under and I knew 
you would want me to brace up and I did, and 
now you will be my cousin and my friend always, 
won’t you ? ” 

“ Always,” returned Nona, “ and I like George 
so much that I shall want to be her friend always, 


TRAILING ARBUTUS 


359 


too. I wish you luck in that direction, Julian.” 
And as future years proved, it was luck and the 
very best of it for Julian. 

But it was not in one year that Nona's wed- 
ding day came, for from Margaret's wedding 
she returned home to welcome the arrival of 
Sylvia's first-born whose little life on earth lasted 
but six short months. The baby had been such 
a dear delight to both sisters, Nona had stood 
god-mother to her little niece and had delighted 
to set stitches in the pretty dainty garments the 
little one wore. She had begged that the child 
might be spared the possession of her name, but 
Sylvia would have no other, saying it was a dear 
one to her and that if she thought it sweet and 
quaint and if Randolph loved it, Nona should not 
object. When the little life went out Nona was 
almost as much grief-stricken as her sister, and 
even in after years the memory of the fair little 
waxen face would bring tears to her eyes. It 
was a long time before either she or Sylvia could 
think of merry-making and Randolph had agreed 
to whatever was Nona’s wish in the matter of 
their marriage. He was a great comfort to her 


360 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


in these days of sorrow, and so was Mrs. Wilson. 
If Sylvia had ever doubted her grandmother’s af- 
fection before she did not then, for there never 
was a readier comforter. 

“ My own first-born, too, was taken,” she said 
to the mourning mother, and Sylvia turned to her 
as to no one else, for she felt that here was one 
who could understand her grief. At her grand- 
mother’s suggestion she made ready to go to the 
farm-house to hide herself and her sorrow, and 
to shut herself away from the too painful asso- 
ciations which her own home brought her. Gra- 
ham, dazed and helpless under the blow, was 
willing to do anything that would bring comfort 
to Sylvia and, therefore, for three or four months 
they dwelt under Mrs. Wilson’s roof until sum- 
mer came and then Graham took his wife North 
to a more invigorating climate. 

Nona and her grandmother spent a quiet sum- 
mer together, and toward the close of it, seeing 
that Nona drooped under the heat, not having 
rallied from the pain and shock of her grief, Mrs. 
Wilson proposed that they, too, should take a 
little journey, the first for her in many years. 


TRAILING ARBUTUS 


361 


And so they started off to Boston, and being so 
pleased with her travels that she was not ready 
to go home in the time she had set, Mrs. Wilson 
insisted upon extending the trip and they had 
gone as far as Canada before they thought of 
turning their faces homeward. The experience 
greatly brightened the two, and when she did 
at last come back, Mrs. Wilson declared that she 
felt ten years younger. 

“ I think,” said Nona, when the autumn days 
had come, “ that I will make up my mind to be 
married in the spring, grandy, when the trailing 
arbutus comes. I shall carry some as my bridal 
flowers. It will be early spring when Easter 
comes and I think Easter week would do very 
well, don’t you? It will be nearly two years 
then since we had the house-party, and I will be 
an April bride.” 

“ I think that will do very well,” Mrs. Wil- 
son agreed ; “ it will give us something to interest 
and occupy us this coming winter. I must fur- 
bish up the old house a little.” 

“ Not too much, grandy; I love the old things.” 

“ You need not be afraid that I will do too 
much,” Mrs. Wilson returned smiling, “ for I 


362 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


mean only to replenish what is worn out; things 
like carpets and curtains do not last forever. 
There comes your sweetheart, child; go talk to 
him about it. He has been very patient and I 
know what a joy it will be to him to have a day 
set.” 

Nona went out into the autumn sunshine. 
“ What a bright beautiful day it is for Novem- 
ber,” she said as Mr. Harwood came up. “ Don’t 
you want to take a walk? I should like to talk 
over something with you.” 

He willingly acquiesced and they started off 
toward their favorite bit of woods. “ And what 
did you want to tell me, Priscilla ? ” said Ran- 
dolph as they entered the woods. “ I hope it is 
that you have decided upon our wedding day. 
Is that it?” 

“ Yes,” said Nona a little shyly, “ that is just 
it. I think in the spring, during Easter week, 
we can decide upon, for then,” she looked up at 
him with eyes full of tender memory, “ I can 
have some trailing arbutus to carry.” 

“ My dear little May-flower, I think it is just 
like you to want to do that.” 


TRAILING ARBUTUS 


363 


“ I remember the poor despised ones that came 
to me one Easter Day and I want to make up 
for not wearing those by showing the whole 
world how happy I am to carry the dear things 
as my wedding flowers. The first time you ever 
paid me any attention at all was when you sent 
me the flowers for the concert, do you remem- 
ber?” 

“ I remember, sweetheart,” he said tenderly. 
“ I do not think I have forgotten anything con- 
cerning you that has happened since I first met 
you, and it is but another proof of your loveli- 
ness that you want to defy conventionality and 
are willing to forego the ordinary bridal bouquet 
and carry my May-flowers. Thank you, darling, 
I wonder if any other girl would have been so 
frankly honest as to confess why she wanted to 
carry those special flowers.” 

“Of course,” returned Nona; “any girl who 
really loved the man she expected to marry would 
do the same.” 

“And you really love me?” 

“ Oh foolish, foolish man, how many times in 
this last year and a half have I told you ? ” 


364 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


“ Tell me now, once again, and add the climax 
to the happiness you have given me by letting me 
know that I shall not have to wait much longer 
for my wife. ,, 

Without hesitation she put her hands in his 
and looked up at him with sweetly serious eyes. 
“ Dear, I love you with my whole heart,” she 
said. 

He drew her close to him. “ And dearest, I 
love you as it seems to me no man could ever 
have loved before. You are so precious to me, 
my little girl, that I sometimes am amazed that 
such a wealth of good fortune should be mine. 
In half a year, Nona, only half a year, and you 
will be my own beloved wife, and every day will 
mean that it is a shorter time till then. I shall 
be like a school-boy who checks off the days till 
he goes home. I shall be going home to you 
then, Nona.” 

“You don’t mean that you are going to carry 
a bunch of arbutus,” said Sylvia when Nona told 
her the plans for her wedding ; “ they will hardly 
show and they are not pure white, and — oh, do 
carry roses, or lilies-of-the-valley might do, if you 
are bent upon spring flowers.” 


TRAILING ARBUTUS 


365 


But Nona shook her head. “ I’ll carry noth- 
ing else,” nor did she, and there was no great 
display at her wedding, though the church was 
decked with the Easter flowers and was crowded 
with her friends. George Ewing and Ada North 
were the only attendants. Sylvia, with a new 
expression upon her face, looked her best. Her 
little son, now two months old, was at the church 
door in Mammy True’s arms, and to him the new 
Mrs. Randolph Harwood gave the first kiss. 
Mrs. Wilson, very dignified and stately, sat 
through the ceremony with head erect, though 
her lips twitched and her hands trembled, while 
Sylvia wept openly. All the dear friends were 
there, Margie and Jim happy and smiling, Mau- 
rice, soon to go through the same ceremony, Mr. 
and Mrs. Foster, Mrs. Martin, large, complacent 
and serene, with her husband. But Ethel Pat- 
terson was not there. She had recently become 
engaged to a German baron and had gone to 
Europe where she would be married. She was, 
perhaps, the only one who was not a well-wisher, 
and she never again would cross Nona’s path. 

The old farm-house opened its doors to all who 


366 


TWO MARYLAND GIRLS 


flocked thither to offer their good wishes. 
Mammy True and Aunt Hannah squabbled in the 
kitchen, but there was no dissension elsewhere. 
Sylvia clung to her sister and shed many tears as 
she took her leave. “ How deeply she feels 
everything/’ whispered some one at her elbow, 
and Sylvia felt a little thrill of conscious pleas- 
ure as she heard the words. But she who felt 
most deeply had no tears in her bright eyes, yet 
her heart was very full. Her lips trembled, but 
her voice was steady as she wished her favorite 
granddaughter a happy journey, and gave her a 
last kiss. 

“ I am coming back, you know, dear grandy,” 
said Nona, her eyes very moist. 

In the quiet of the evening when they had left 
her all alone, the old lady sat rocking in her 
chair, the tears trickling down her cheeks. 
“ May the good Lord spare her to me,” she mur- 
mured. “ Oh, my Heavenly Father, I could not 
bear it if she were taken from me as her mother 
was.” But the promise of Eastertide was in the 
air, and presently she softly whispered : “ Though 
he were dead, yet shall he live.” Though it was 


TRAILING ARBUTUS 


367 


a mild day a fire burned upon the hearth, but the 
window was partly open letting in the smell of 
the brown earth from which were bursting into 
life the dull forms of bulbs hidden away all win- 
ter. Already the daffodils had pressed upward 
their green blades. On the table stood a bowl of 
trailing-arbutus whose faint odor told of a life 
which had developed in spite of cold and storm. 
She who sat there was comforted, and suddenly 
she felt that she was not alone; she was sur- 
rounded by children; the echo of childish voices 
sounded on her ear, the noise of little feet pat- 
tered up and down the stairs. They were no 
ghosts of the past, but the companions of the 
future, her great-grand-children who would con- 
sole and comfort her. She sat a long time think- 
ing, then she arose and lighted her lamp, mur- 
muring : “ I must have Sylvia bring the baby 
often,” and though the echoing footsteps fled, so, 
too, did the dark thoughts and all was well. 


























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< OPY DEL. TO CAT. DiV. 
OCT, 2 1903 " 











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LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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